Chiefs duo up for top award

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Premiership Rugby today confirmed the first shortlist for this year's Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards, recognising the best forward in the top flight of English rugby - The Green Flag Forward of the Season.

A panel of judges, aided by the statistics from our partners Opta, were asked to run their rule over those who have excelled from the packs at the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby matches.

Only forwards who played 10 or more matches in the Aviva Premiership Rugby season were eligible and the following shortlist was created of five players, representing four different clubs:

• Dave Ewers - Exeter Chiefs
• Nathan Hughes - Wasps
• Samu Manoa - Northampton Saints
• Billy Vunipola - Saracens
• Thomas Waldrom - Exeter Chiefs

The shortlist was selected from a panel of experts and the winner of the Green Flag Forward of the Season award will be announced at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards, which take place at the London Hilton onPark Lane on Wednesday 20 May,

The judging panel was: Neil Back (Rugby World Cup winner and Green Flag ambassador), Jack de Menezes (The Independent) Martin Gillingham (ITV), Neale Harvey (The Rugby Paper), James Hopkins (BT Sport) and Emma Thurston (Out On The Full Rugby). The panel was chaired by Premiership Rugby's Communications Director, Paul Morgan.

"More than a dozen impressive contenders emerged from our deliberations and it was tough to get down to these five,” said Rugby World Cup winner and Green Flag Ambassador, Neil Back.

"Needless to say I'm delighted to see so many back row players making the list! There's a great mixture of young and more established talent competing for the title. They've all had fantastic seasons and deserve this recognition."

Neil Back and a panel of judges go through this season's shortlist for Green Flag Forward of the Season. Click here to watch the video.

On 20 May the winners of the following Awards will be announced:
• Aviva Premiership Rugby Player of the Season
• Aviva Community Player of the Season
• BT Sport Aviva Premiership Rugby Dream Team
• Citizen Try of the Season
• Gilbert Golden Boot
• Green Flag Forward of the Season
• Guinness Director of Rugby of the Season
• Land Rover Discovery of the Season
• Trivento Top Try Scorer of the Season

The winners will be announced on Thursday 20 May at the sold out Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards at the Hilton, Park Lane. The event will be covered live on Twitter via the @premrugby account.