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Captain fantastic Sarah Hirini collects hat-trick of NZ Rugby awards

By Online Editors
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Black Ferns Sevens captain Sarah Hirini has collected three major prizes at the 2021 ASB New Zealand Rugby Awards, including the supreme Kelvin R. Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.

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Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s awards were once again presented in a made-for-TV special on Sky, with awards presented to New Zealand’s leading players, coaches, administrators, and referees.

As well as being recognised as New Zealand’s outstanding overall player in 2021, Hirini (Ng?ti Kahungunu) was also named as the Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year and became a two-time winner of the Tom French Memorial M?ori Player of the Year award.

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The panel of Ross Karl, Bryn Hall and James Parsons run their eyes over all the developments from the past week of rugby.

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The panel of Ross Karl, Bryn Hall and James Parsons run their eyes over all the developments from the past week of rugby.

The Manawat? loose forward’s individual brilliance was there for all to see as she led her team to Olympic gold in Tokyo, but her teammates and coaches were not forgotten. The Black Ferns Sevens were recognised as the Adidas New Zealand Team of the Year for the fourth year running, and co-coaches Cory Sweeney and Allan Bunting were jointly named as the ASB New Zealand Coach of the Year, for the third year in a row.

To cap off an evening where women’s rugby shone brightly, Anna Richards, one of the true legends of women’s rugby, became the first female recipient of the prestigious Steinlager Salver, an honour reserved for individuals who have made a lasting impact on the development and ongoing success of rugby in New Zealand.

Richards, an inductee to World Rugby’s Hall of Fame, has been making an impact since making her Black Ferns debut in 1990, going on to play 54 games, including 49 Tests, and winning four Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Auckland Storm side that went undefeated from 1994 through to 2005.

Made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 (MNZM), Richards’ contribution has continued well past her playing days as a coach, development manager, volunteer and mentor.

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Ardie Savea was named All Blacks Player of the Year, setting a trend for loose forwards, with Kennedy Simon winning Black Ferns Player of the Year, and Scott Curry taking home the All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year award.

The Crusaders headed off the Waikato NPC team, Waikato FPC team, and South Canterbury to win the hotly-contested adidas National Team of the Year Award, after winning the Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa title and then going unbeaten through the Sky Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition. Crusaders first five Richie Mo’unga was rewarded as the Sky Super Rugby Player of the Year.

Waikato’s Ross Filipo took out ASB National Coach of the Year, after guiding the Mooloos to the Bunnings Warehouse NPC Premiership title in the union’s centenary year. Taranaki first-five Stephen Perofeta won the Duane Monkley Medal as the NPC’s best player, after guiding his team to an undefeated season in the Championship, while Taranaki teammate and new All Black Josh Lord was named New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year.

Northland Kauri captain and prop Krystal Murray won the Fiao’o Faamausili Medal to be recognised as the Bunnings Warehouse Farah Palmer Cup’s Player of the Year, while South Canterbury’s Willie Wright was judged to be the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship’s best player.

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Former Black Fern Melodie Robinson received the Kirk Award, awarded by the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association for outstanding contribution on behalf of professional players both on and off the field.

Auckland’s Ben O’Keefe is the 2021 New Zealand Rugby Referee of the Year, while Peter Chaplin, a former prop turned administrator for High School Old Boys’ Rugby Club in Canterbury, was recognised with the Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year award.

The Sky Fans Try of the Year, decided by public vote, went to Tasman and All Blacks wing Sevu Reece who handled the ball three times during a breathtaking counter- attack try against Wales at Millennium Stadium during the Tudor Northern Tour.

2021 ASB Rugby Awards (winners in bold)

New Zealand Rugby Referee of the Year:
James Doleman (Otago)
Ben O’Keeffe (Auckland)
Tiana Ngawati (Bay of Plenty)

Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year:
Paul Batters (Counties Manukau)
Peter Chaplin (Canterbury)
Greg Heller (Otago)

Steinlager Salver:
Anna Richards (Auckland)

NZRPA Kirk Award
Melodie Robinson (Auckland)

New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year:
Chay Fihaki (Canterbury)
Josh Lord (Taranaki)
Soane Vikena (Auckland)

Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship Player of the Year:
Hone Haerewa (Ng?ti Porou East Coast)
Willie Wright (South Canterbury)            
Stefan Destounis (Poverty Bay)                                                              

Duane Monkley Medal:              
Lincoln McClutchie (Hawke’s Bay)
Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki)      
Luke Romano (Canterbury)

Fiao’o Faamausili Medal:           
Grace Houpapa-Barrett (Waikato)
Krystal Murray (Northland)        
Joanah Ngan-Woo (Wellington)

ASB National Coach of the Year:
Neil Barnes (Taranaki NPC)
Ross Filipo (Waikato NPC)
Scott Robertson (Crusaders)
James Semple (Waikato FPC)                          

Sky Super Rugby Player of the Year:
Richie Mo’unga (Canterbury)
Dalton Papalii (Counties Manukau)
Aaron Smith (Manawat?)

Tom French Memorial M?ori Player of the Year:
Ash Dixon (Hawke’s Bay)
Sarah Hirini (Manawat?)            
Aaron Smith (Manawat?)

Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year:
Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty)          
Andrew Knewstubb (Tasman)
Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (Ng?ti Porou East Coast)

Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year:
Gayle Broughton (Taranaki)
Sarah Hirini (Manawat?)            
Tyla Nathan-Wong (Northland)

Black Ferns Player of the Year
Les Elder (Bay of Plenty)
Kennedy Simon (Waikato)          
Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (Auckland)

All Blacks Player of the Year:
Jordie Barrett (Taranaki)
Rieko Ioane (Auckland)
Will Jordan (Tasman)
Ardie Savea (Wellington)

adidas National Team of the Year:
Crusaders         
South Canterbury
Waikato FPC
Waikato NPC

Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year:
Sarah Hirini (Manawat?)

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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