Northampton Saints winger Ollie Sleightholme has been named Premiership Player of the Month for March.
The powerful back scored three tries in two Gallagher Premiership matches in March, including a brace against Saracens.
He won 57% of the public vote, beating Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck and Benhard Janse van Rensburg to the award.
The 24-year-old becomes the third Saint on the honour roll this season, joining fellow clubmates Courtney Lawes and Fin Smith. He is also the fifth recipient this season, with Bath duo Ollie Lawrence and Ben Spencer also winning the award this season.
Northampton had a mixed month in the Premiership in March. They lost heavily to Bristol Bears after the restart, but they responded perfectly as they put Saracens to the sword a week later. Despite this though, Sleightholme again impressed, notching a wonderful solo try against the Bears and also grabbing two against Saracens.
He has also continued his form into the Champions Cup, and is looking likely to be selected for England’s summer tour.
In a statement, Georgia Price-Hunt, Global Cyber Risk Management at Gallagher, said: “I’m delighted to present this trophy to Ollie. He has played brilliantly so far during the Gallagher Premiership.”
“Ollie has made some great plays on the pitch. There’s no doubt that he has played an integral role in the success of Northampton Saints so far.”
Phil Dowson on Ollie Sleightholme
Ollie Sleightholme’s form has earned him praise across the board, but especially from boss Phil Dowson.
“I think Ollie has benefited from playing and training regularly,” he told the media this week.
Dowson added: “He’s obviously had a lot of injuries in the past that have kept him out. He’s struggled to get back in and have a consistent amount of form, but he’s now done that and he’s shown what he’s capable of.
“Ollie is an absolute freak athletically. He’s very, very fast, he’s strong; but he’s also aggressive as well. I think the coaching he’s getting from all of the coaches, he’s improving leaps and bounds because he’s very driven.”
Sleightholme was involved with the England A squad for their clash against Portugal, however he didn’t make the 23-man-squad. His form has only improved since then, and it has seen calls for him to make the main squad for England’s summer tour.
When asked if he could be involved, Dowson responded: “Yeah, I think so. There’s loads of wins across the league, so it’s hard to know where he sits. I’m pretty sure he’ll be on Steve Borthwick’s radar.”
