All the winners from the 2019 New Zealand Rugby awards
When Kiwi rugby fans look back on 2019, it will be remembered for two things – an early All Blacks exit from the World Cup, and the rise of Ardie Savea.
The Hurricanes and All Blacks loose forward took 2019 by storm at both club and country levels, capping off the year being named the Kelvin R Tremain memorial award winner for Player of the Year at Thursday’s New Zealand Rugby awards.
The 26-year-old, who was unable to attend the event after undergoing knee surgery earlier in the day, claimed three awards on the night, being named Super Rugby Player of the Year and All Blacks Player of the Year as well as claiming the supreme award.
Savea reached a new level of play in 2019, starting eight of the All Blacks’ ten Tests. A monster presence on both sides of the ball, Savea made the most of his opportunities to display his dominance with ball in hand as well as an impressive ability to secure turnovers at the breakdown.
Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson was named National Coach of the Year and said although he was disappointed in missing out on the role as All Blacks head coach, he was looking forward to the upcoming campaign with the Crusaders.
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“There’s always a natural process as a human, there’s a natural disappointment because I’ve put everything into it,” Robertson said.
“I’m coaching the team I love, where I’ve had a lot of great moments as a player and now as a coach, I’ve got a lot of special bonds and a chance to do something pretty special.”
If not winning is about taking it in the chin, Scott Robertson's reaction to not getting the All Blacks job will serve him well in the long run https://t.co/Qp22ShtlG2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 12, 2019
Tyla Nathan-Wong was named Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year, while skipper Sarah Hirini became the first woman to take home the Tom French Memorial M?ori Player of the Year award.
Black Ferns Sevens co-coaches Allan Bunting and Cory Sweeney were named New Zealand Coaches of the Year, and the Black Ferns Sevens were crowned the New Zealand Team of the Year for a second consecutive year.
2019 NEW ZEALAND RUGBY AWARD WINNERS
Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year:
Ardie Savea
Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year Winner:
Tone Ng Shiu (Tasman)
Black Ferns Player of the Year Winner:
Charmaine McMenamin (Auckland)
All Blacks Player of the Year Winner:
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
New Zealand Coach of the Year Winner:
Cory Sweeney and Allan Bunting (Black Ferns Sevens)
New Zealand Team of the Year Winner:
Black Ferns Sevens
National Coach of the Year Winner:
Scott Robertson (Crusaders)
Super Rugby Player of the Year Winner:
Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
Tom French Memorial M?ori Player of the Year Winner:
Sarah Hirini (Ng?ti Kahungunu)
New Zealand Rugby Referee of the Year Winner:
Paul Williams
Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year Winner:
Ian Spraggon (Bay of Plenty
New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year winner:
Fletcher Newell (Canterbury)
Heartland Championship Player of the Year Winner:
Josh Clark (North Otago)
Duane Monkley Medal Winner:
Chase Tiatia (Bay of Plenty)
Fiao’o Faamausili Medal Winner:
Chelsea Bremner (Canterbury Women)
Sevens Player of the Year Winner:
Tyla Nathan-Wong (Auckland)
National Team of the Year Winner:
Crusaders
NZRPA Kirk Award Winners:
Josh Blackie, Seilala Mapusua and Hale T-Pole
Outstanding Contribution to New Zealand Rugby:
Steve Tew
Fan’s Try of the Year:
TJ Perenara
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Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
16 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments