Awards season in full swing

Ireland

Irish centre Sene Naoupu(pictured)was awarded the BNY Mellon Women’s Fifteens Player of the Year 2016, as voted by members of the Ireland squad, for her outstanding performances in her debut year as an Irish International. Naoupu, who also featured for the Irish sevens team this season, was a standout player in the middle for Ireland during the Six Nations.

The winner of the Irish Women's Sevens Player of the Year was Amee-Leigh Crowe who helped Ireland to get back on the World Series circuit.

England

Sarah Hunter has won the first award of the season - named the RPA's Women's Player of the Year award. England Women turned around last year’s disappointing fourth place in the Six Nations to finish second this year. Sarah Hunter has captained her team to a new level and despite the disappointment of losing the Grand Slam in the final round against France, Hunter produced some outstanding performances. Her ball carrying and tackling set a bench mark for the rest of the competition and her determination to succeed promises more in the future.

“There is a huge investment from the RFU into women’s rugby a sevens and 15-a-side rugby,” said Hunter.

“It was frustrating not winning the Six Nations, but the strength in depth is growing all the time and hopefully we ca progress and go on to defend our World title.”

Canada

Canada gave out numerous awards this season including the  Women’s Fifteens Player of the Year Award which went to Laura Russell – the captain and outstanding leader of the women’s national team.

The Women’s Sevens Player of the Year Award went to Karen Paquin, who is one of two players in the world to play in 18 series events.

The Women’s Young Player of the Year Award went to Caroline Crossley and the Female Coach of the Year Award went to Anna Wray, who is a a Rugby Canada Women’s 15s team alumni who has remained involved in rugby and gives back to the sport she loves by coaching a girls' team in BC. The Women’s Gillian Florence Award went to Barbara Mervin.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Rugby Union added  nine new members to its Rugby Hall of Fame including Karen “Lola” Williams. Williams arrived in 1997 to play for the Arabian Gulf Rugby Union in the first-ever Hong Kong Women’s Rugby Sevens and moved here the following year, playing for Aberdeen. Williams would go on to take an influential role in the early development of the women’s game in Hong Kong and represented the SAR in sevens and 15s. She also captained the national 15s side and coached the Hong Kong women’s sevens team.

Former Wasps women’s coach Chris Garvey was named women’s Premiership coach of the year, while Tammy Lau Nga-wun women’s Premiership player of the year honours.

In addition to the Premiership coach and player awards announced by the HKRU, Valley Red’s Zoe Smith was named women’s development player of the year, after scoring an impressive 93 points for her team. The women’s development coach of the year award went to Comvita City Ladies coach Yuen Ho-yin.

On the heels of her appointment as an official for rugby sevens debut at this summer’s Rio Olympics, Gabriel Lee Wing-Yi was named referee of the year.

New Zealand

Given the timings, the New Zealand Rugby Awards were way back in December.  To recap - it was a big year for the Black Ferns who swept aside hosts Canada, England, Samoa and the USA in winning the inaugural Super Series. Half back Kendra Cocksedge played a pivotal role in the series win, and in addition was the first player ever to score 500 Women’s Provincial Championship points. She was deservedly the New Zealand Rugby Women’s Player of the Year Award, capping off a year where she was also the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year.

Tyla Nathan-Wong was a key member of the New Zealand Women’s Sevens team which won their third successive Women’s World Series title. Her speed and accuracy saw her earn the Women’s Sevens Player of the Year Award.