World Rugby awards winners named

England captain Sarah Hunter was named the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year 2016 only hours after her side beat Ireland 12-10 in their second test of a busy November schedule.

She received the award ahead of two other nominees in New Zealand captain Fiao’o Fa’amausili and France captain Gaëlle Mignot.

A veteran of 83 tests and the fifth most-capped England women’s player of the all-time, Sarah Hunter has been ever present for the Red Roses in 2016, scoring a try in their opening Six Nations match against Scotland as they finished runners-up to France and again to Canada in the Women’s Rugby Super Series in July. A Women’s Rugby World Cup winner in 2014, the number eight will be a key player for England in a November campaign which sees them play the other teams in the world’s top five.

"It is a huge honour and one I didn't expect to get being up against being up against two fantastic candidates in Fiao'o and Gaëlle," said Hunter. "I wouldn't be receiving this without my team-mates and the fantastic team behind us so they are as worthy of this as I am."

Australia’s Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Caslick was named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC, with South Africa’s Seabelo Senatla receiving the men’s award.

Caslick has been a central figure in Australia’s dominance of women’s sevens over the past 12 months, which yielded a maiden HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series title and the first women’s Olympic gold medal in rugby. An inspiration on and off the pitch, Caslick as playmaker is at the heart of everything Australia do and is blessed with great vision and speed of thought, nimble footwork and a turn of pace. She has also come to relish the tackling aspect of the game.

She beat Emily Scarratt (England/Great Britain) and Portia Woodman (New Zealand) to the title.

The World Rugby Referee Award went jointly to Alhambra Nievas (Spain) and Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa) Alhambra Nievas and Rasta Rasivhenge had the honour of refereeing the men’s and women’s Olympic gold medal matches in Rio to bring the curtain down on impressive seasons on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series match official panels.

Nievas, nominated for the second year running and one of the leading women’s referees in 15s rugby, also took charge of three cup finals on the series in Sao Paulo, Langford and Clermont-Ferrand, while Rasivhenge officiated on both the men’s and women’s series, taking charge of the men’s finals in Sydney and Las Vegas.

Full list of World Rugby Awards winners

World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year – Beauden Barrett, New ZealandWorld Rugby Women’s Player of the Year – Sarah Hunter, EnglandWorld Rugby Team of the Year – New ZealandWorld Rugby Coach of the Year – Steve Hansen, New ZealandWorld Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year – Maro Itoje, EnglandWorld Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Seabelo Senatla, South AfricaWorld Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Charlotte Caslick, AustraliaWorld Rugby Referee Award – Alhambra Nievas, Spain, and Rasta Rasivhenge, South AfricaVernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – Syd MillarAward for Character – Rugby Opens Borders, Austrian Rugby UnionIRPA Special Merit Award – Jean de Villiers, South AfricaIRPA Try of the Year – Jamie Heaslip, IrelandSpecial recognition of Olympic Games success: Australia’s women and Fiji’s men