Mike Brown’s bid to land the England No15 jersey for the Six Nations has been boosted by his nomination for European player of the year.
The full-back, joined on the list by Quins team-mate James Johnston, is favourite for the role against Scotland on 2 February. He and Johnston have played a key part in making Quins the No1 ranked Heineken Cup team at the quarter-final stage.
Saracens stars Owen Farrell and Charlie Hodgson, who share the No10 role, are on the list produced by European Rugby Cup, the game’s governing body in Europe, along with Wasps’ Joe Launchbury.
A shortlist of five will be announced following the Euro semi-finals in April and the winner will be selected after finals weekend in Dublin on May 17 and 18.
ERC longlist (based on pool performances): S Armitage (Toulon), R Best (Ulster), J Bonnaire (Clermont), M Brown (Quins), D Cole (Leics), O Farrell (Saracens), W Fofana (Clermont), M Gorgodze (Montpellier), C Hodgson (Saracens), J Johnston (Quins), J Launchbury (Wasps), M Parra (Clermont), G Parling (Leics), R Pienar (Ulster), S Zebo (Munster).
