Saracens and England utility back Max Malins on winning London Pride Top Try Scorer of the Season at Premiership Rugby Awards 2021-22

Saracens star Max Malins may have won the London Pride Top Try Scorer of the Season award, but the England winger is still rueing the ones that got away.

The utility back’s 16 tries during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby season saw him pip George McGuigan, Agustín Creevy and Cadan Murley to the prize at the Premiership Rugby Awards 2021-22.

But, being the try-scoring machine that he is, former Bishop’s Stortford youngster Malins was still thinking about a score that got away during Round 26’s 54-7 defeat against Gloucester Rugby.

With Saracens behind, Malins almost responded with an acrobatic finish in the corner, but replays showed he had just lost control of the ball before grounding.

“I don’t really have a favourite try of the season, but it probably would have been the one I dropped at Gloucester on the weekend,” said Malins, speaking after receiving the London Pride Top Try Scorer of the Season prize at the Premiership Rugby Awards 2021-22.

“If I had dotted that down, it probably would have been the most acrobatic. There isn’t one single one, though.”

Malins, who attended Felsted School and helped Stortford’s under-13s win the Harpenden Festival in 2009, picked up the prize after a phenomenal end to the season that saw him score seven tries in four Gallagher Premiership Rugby matches.

His side went on to beat Harlequins 34-17 in the play-off semi-finals before succumbing 15-12 to Leicester in Saturday’s final at Twickenham.

The highlight of Malins’ season came right at the start, with a four-try haul in the 56-15 win against Wasps at the StoneX Stadium in October.

But despite the adulation and awards, Malins insists that his success reflects the hard work of his team-mates.

“There is obviously a lot of hard work that goes into it, but I’m fortunate enough to find myself in a few lucky positions and to be sent over for a few easy tries as well,” said Malins, who made his full England debut in March 2021. “I’ve got to thank my team-mates for that.

“I’m just trying to get better in each area of my game. I want to get better in the air and stuff.

“I want to keep getting off my wing, getting my hands on the ball and stuff. The more I can do that, the better.”