The 2015 Scrumqueens Awards!

With standout players such as Gaelle Mignot, Kendra Cocksedge and Elodie Poulan receiving a huge volume of nominations too, this was a close run award but Ireland??s powerhouse forward Sophie Spence came out on top.

A leader in the Ireland team which won the Six Nations earlier this year, Spence??s move back to Ireland from Newcastle in recent years, has reaped dividends and she has become one of the world??s best utility forwards, equally at home in the back row as she is at lock.?˜ Even more remarkable is the fact that Spence only took the game up in 2011, was capped a year later, and has already become one of the game??s leading players.

A stint with the Irish 7s squad will have helped Spence??s close ball skills, but it is her running which causes teams most difficulty and that was to the fore as Ireland claimed their second Six Nations title in 2014.?˜ Alongside her international exploits, Spence also helped her club Old Belvedere lift Ireland??s club title in recent weeks.

The Scrumqueens team of the Year is not hugely different to our which we chose at the end of the competition but this time the addition?˜of several New Zealand players reflects their strong summer at the Super Series.

1) Rochelle Clark (England)

2) Fiao'o Fa??amusaili (New Zealand)

3) Ailis Egan (Ireland)

4) Sophie Spence (Ireland)

5) Marine De Nadai (France)

6) Rachel Taylor?˜ (Wales)

7) Claire Molloy (Ireland)

8)?˜Safi N??Diaye (France)

9) Kendra Cocksedge (New Zealand)

10) Katie Mclean (England)

11) Renee Wickliffe (New Zealand)

12) Elodie Poublan?˜ (France)

13) Jen Murphy (Ireland)

14) Julie Billes (France)

15) Niamh Briggs (Ireland)

A second Six Nations crown in three years, despite the loss to France, was a fine effort from a new look Irish side, who had been hit by numerous retirements in the past year, like lots of other top sides .Their ability to cope best however has been impressive, and Tierney, the former Ireland scrum-half,?˜should take plenty of credit in his debut season for gelling a team which had limited build-up to the tournament itself. ?˜Tierney had only been appointed in mid-December and also impressive for Ireland was their ability to hold England at home in the Autumn, where Tierney handed nine players their first caps. England won the game by a score late on, but it has been an excellent first season for Ireland??s new coach.

It was no surprise at all to see Nadezda Kudinova become Player of the Tournament in the final WSWS of the year in Dubai because the Russian captain has had an awesome year. A near ever-present in the teams of the tournament throughout 2015, the 24 year-old has lead from the front, steering her team to their first two Series finals.

Nadezda??s sporting career began in handball, but her relatively slight 165cm (5??5??) and 60kg (9st 6lb) frame forced a change of direction. Fortunately for rugby she was born in Krasnodor, a heartland of the Russian game, and in 2009 at the age of 18 she joined the DSP No.4 club. By 2013 she was in the national team, playing a starring role in the Moscow World Cup, and leading her country to gold in the World University Games, held in Kazan.

A natural leader and play-maker Nadezda has shone in the centre of the Russian team from the start, and seems to get better and better with every tournament. Her performance in the 2014/15 World Series was enough to be shortlisted for World Rugby??s Sevens Player of the Year. In the end she narrowly lost out to Portia Woodman, but with her outstanding performance in Dubai added to the account we ?? and many of those making nominations ?? believe there is only one player deserving of our Sevens Player of the Year award for 2015.

There will be no huge surprises here and the popularity of the World Series was reflected by the volume of nominations which flooded in for this category. None of these faces are new to followers of the game and as we head towards Rio, expect these players to be among the leading lights in 2016.

Portia Woodman (New Zealand) ; Charlotte Caslick (Australia) ; Marjorie Mayans (France); Jen Kish (Canada) ; Karin Paquin (Canada) ; Emily Cherry (Australia) ; Patricia Garcia (Spain) ; Sarah Goss (New Zealand) ; Tyla Nathan-Wong (New Zealand);?˜ Jo Watmore (England) ; Nadezda Kudinova (Russia); Kayla McAllister (New Zealand)

We received a wide spread of nominations for this year??s Sevens Coach award, including most of the well-known coaches of the leading World Series teams. Canada??s John Tait, Russia??s Pavel Baronovsky, Australia??s Tim Walsh and New Zealand??s Sean Horan all had their supporters. However with player-bases running into the thousands and professional full-time players the coaches of the top teams have something of an advantage that isn??t available to everyone.

The latest published statistics reveal that there are only 175 registered players ?? of all ages ?? in Finland, a country where, moreover, it is only possible to play the game outdoors for perhaps six months of the year (though it has, in recent years, become the home of ??lumirugbya?? or ??snow rugby??).

In 2013 Finland were (perhaps unsurprisingly) playing in the lowest level of European Sevens ?? Division B ?? when a new coach, Lauri Yl??nen, was appointed. Success was immediate. Finland won Division B in 2013, and maintained their position in Division A in 2014, finishing sixth ?? which was impressive enough.

Expectations for 2015 were for the team to do well to maintain that position, but instead they beat first Switzerland in the quarter-finals and then tournament-favourites?˜Sweden to reach the final ?? and promotion to the Grand Prix for 2016.

??He brought a new style to coaching and he is doing everything without any money??, one nomination said. ??When they earn they place in Euro top 12, they achieved something that few teams have done,?? added another. ??When you think about rugby in Finland, they should not be able to get that high, to behomest. But when you put your heart and soul to something and work hard, you can achieve amazing things. Sad that sport people in Finland don??t realize or even recognize that. So please could you do it. Give some credit to those who showed that in rugby everything is possible.??

How could we say no?

Nearly 30 players from over a dozen countries were nominated for this award, including two who received well-co-ordinated floods of support.

However, while Scotland??s Jade Konkel attracted huge support, Black Fern Tyla Nathan-Wong??s supporters were also numerous - and she wins this award this year.

The 21 year-old has been a regular with the New Zealand sevens team since 2012, when she was the youngest player ever Black Fern. As one of the nominations said:

??Tyla is the creative force with her speed and accuracy that sets the tone for the team from the inside out. She has the ability to perform under pressure in the big moments whether she is attacking or defending. She is one of the best exponents of re-starts on the World Series and her ability to nail conversions from all parts of ground under pressure sets her above the rest.?˜It is fair to say that Nathan-Wong does not receive the same accolades many of her teammates do and is underrated but is certainly a glue in a high performing New Zealand team."

Nathan-Wong was also a strong contender for our overall sevens player of the year, and was recently voted the New Zealand Women??s Sevens Player of the Year beating both Sarah Goss and Portia Woodman ?? so we are not alone in our admiration for this superbly talented young player..

Despite ending the year disappointingly in Dubai, New Zealand swept to another World Series title this year, and will remain favourites to lift the Olympic title in Rio. Other sides are hot on their tails, and it is true that without Kayla McAlister they are not quite as dangerous, but only a fool would write them off after their results in Dubai.?˜ Sean Horan??s team were outstanding for much of 2015. Until the London 7s in May, New Zealand had won 37 consecutive matches and despite a shock loss to Spain there, they qualified for Rio. They had been brilliant in Dubai and Rio- winning both tournaments earlier in the year and then scooping the titles in the USA and Canada.