World Rugby Awards


The World Rugby Awards are given out annually by World Rugby, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievements in the sport. The idea of rewarding excellence in rugby was disclosed in 2001 following the Annual Meeting of the International Rugby Board Council in Copenhagen, and the first ceremony was first awarded later that year. The International Rugby Players' Association also gives out awards, for Try of the Year, and Special Merit, as a part of the programme. As of 2021, they now present Women's Try of the Year.
In 2020, World Rugby decided to "look back on a decade of international rugby" instead of presenting the usual awards. Six of the categories were decided by fan votes and two by a selected panel. The 'Special Edition Awards' focused on "...members of the rugby family who had showcased solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting their communities and getting involved in relief efforts."
World Rugby reintroduced the normal awards in 2021 with a few new additions. Unlike previous years where a majority of the awards were selected by an independent panel, half of the categories will now be selected by public voting.

2001

  • IRB Player of the Year: Keith Wood
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Rod Macqueen
  • IRB International Young Player of the Year: Gavin Henson
  • IRB International Women's Player of the Year: Shelley Rae
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Ed Morrison England
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Tim Grandadge
  • IRB Distinguished Service Award: Tom Kiernan
  • IRB Development Award: Jorge Brasceras
  • IRB Chairman's Awards: Kath McLean, Sir Terry McLean, Albert Ferrasse, John Eales

    2002

  • IRB Player of the Year: Fabien Galthié
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Bernard Laporte
  • IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Luke McAlister
  • IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Pat Barnard
  • IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Women's Player of the Year: Monique Hirovanaa
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Colin Hawke New Zealand
  • IRB Distinguished Services Award: Allan Hosie
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Old Christians Club
  • IRB Development Award: John Broadfoot
  • IRB Chairman's Awards: Bill Mclaren, George Pippos

    2003

  • IRB International Player of the Year: Jonny Wilkinson
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Sir Clive Woodward
  • IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Jean Baptiste Payras
  • IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Ben Atiga
  • IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Michael & Linda Collinson
  • IRB Award for Distinguished Service: Bob Stuart
  • IRB Referee Distinguished Service Award: Derek Bevan
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Kathy Flores
  • IRB Development Award: Tan Theany & Philippe Monnin
  • IRB Chairman's Award: Vernon Pugh

    2004

  • IRB International Player of the Year: Schalk Burger
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Jake White
  • IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Jeremy Thrush
  • IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Jerome Kaino
  • IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Simon Amor
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Jarrod Cunningham
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Ronnie Dawson
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Jim Fleming Scotland
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Donna Kennedy
  • IRB Development Award: Guedel Ndiaye
  • IRB Chairman's Award: Marcel Martin

    2005

  • IRB International Player of the Year: Daniel Carter
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
  • IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Isaia Toeava
  • IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Tatafu Polota-Nau
  • IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Orene Ai’i
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Jean Pierre Rives
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Peter Crittle
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Paddy O'Brien New Zealand
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Farah Palmer
  • IRB Development Award: Robert Antonin
  • IRB Chairman's Award: Sir Tasker Watkins V.C., G.B.E, D.L

    2006

  • IRB International Player of the Year: Richie McCaw,
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry,
  • IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Josh Holmes
  • IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Lionel Beauxis
  • IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Uale Mai
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Polly Miller
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Brian Lochore
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Peter Marshall Australia
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Margaret Alphonsi
  • IRB Development Award: Mike Luke
  • IRB Hall of Fame inductees: William Webb Ellis and Rugby School

    2007

  • IRB International Player of the Year: Bryan Habana,
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Jake White,
  • IRB Under-19 Player of the Year: Robert Fruean,
  • IRB Sevens Player of the Year: Afeleke Pelenise,
  • IRB Sevens Team of the Year:
  • IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Sarah Corrigan, referee, Australia
  • :In 2007, she became the first woman ever to referee in an IRB 15-man tournament outside of the Women's Rugby World Cup when she took charge of the match between and in the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship.
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Dick Byres, retired, Australia
  • :After refereeing 14 Tests, he was a charter member of the IRB Referee Selector panel when it was formed in 1997, and was the longest-serving member of the panel when he retired in 2007.
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: José María Epalza,
  • :After a playing career that saw him earn 38 caps for, and coaching the Spanish national team from 1986 to 1990, he went on to a distinguished career in rugby administration, serving in several key posts in the Spanish Rugby Federation and FIRA–AER.
  • Spirit of Rugby Award: Nicolas Pueta,
  • :Pueta regularly plays club rugby despite having a congenital femoral deficiency that meant that his left leg never grew to the same size as his right one.
  • IRPA Try of the Year: Takudzwa Ngwenya,
  • IRPA Special Merit Award: Fabien Pelous,
  • :Pelous is the most-capped player in France history, and also the most-capped lock ever.
  • IRB Development Award: Jacob Thompson, Jamaica
  • :Ever since returning home to Jamaica from England in the 1970s, Thompson has tirelessly worked to promote the sport in his homeland. He has been president of the Jamaica Rugby Union since 1999.
  • IRB Hall of Fame inductees:
  • *Pierre de Coubertin,
  • *Wilson Whineray,
  • *Danie Craven, South Africa
  • *Gareth Edwards,
  • *John Eales,

    2008

  • IRB Player of the Year: Shane Williams,
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry,
  • IRB Junior Player of the Year: Luke Braid,
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: DJ Forbes,
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Roelien Muller and Patrick Cotter
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Andre Watson South Africa
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Carol Isherwood
  • IRPA Special Merit Award: Agustín Pichot
  • IRB Development Award: TAG Rugby Development Trust and Martin Hansford
  • IRPA Try of the Year: Brian O'Driscoll

    2009

  • IRB Player of the Year: Richie McCaw
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Declan Kidney
  • IRB Junior Player of the Year: Aaron Cruden
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Ollie Phillips
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: L'Aquila Rugby
  • :The town of L'Aquila, with long rugby traditions, was hit on 6 April 2009 by an earthquake which left 307 people dead and tens of thousands homeless. Amongst the victims was promising young prop Lorenzo Sebastiani, who had played in the last IRB Junior World Championship in Wales. L'Aquila Rugby Club provided shelter, refuge and comfort to people in the town. L'Aquila's Rugby were in the front line of the rescue effort, and helped evacuate victims from damaged buildings.
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: to be awarded
  • IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Debby Hodgkinson
  • IRPA Special Merit Award: Kevin Mac Clancy
  • IRB Development Award: 林嘉生 Lin, Chia-Sheng
  • :Mr Lin was the first person from Asian countries to receive this award, for his decades of dedication to promote rugby sport in Taiwan, and also his selfless contribution to the world rugby society.
  • IRPA Try of the Year: Jaque Fourie

    2010

  • IRB Player of the Year: Richie McCaw
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
  • IRB Junior Player of the Year: Julian Savea
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Mikaele Pesamino
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Jean-Claude Baqué
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Virreyes RC
  • IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Carla Hohepa
  • IRB Development Award winner: Brian O'Shea
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Colin High
  • IRPA Try of the Year: Chris Ashton

    2011

  • IRB Player of the Year: Thierry Dusautoir
  • IRB International Team of the Year:
  • IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
  • IRB Junior Player of the Year: George Ford
  • IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Cecil Afrika
  • Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Jock Hobbs
  • IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Wooden Spoon Society United Kingdom
  • IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Ruth Mitchell
  • IRB Development Award winner: Rookie Rugby USA
  • IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Keith Lawrence New Zealand
  • IRPA Special Merit Award: George Smith
  • IRPA Try of the Year: Radike Samo
  • IRB Hall of Fame inductees:
  • *Roger Vanderfield
  • *Richard Littlejohn
  • *Nicholas Shehadie
  • *John Kendall-Carpenter
  • *David Kirk
  • *Nick Farr-Jones
  • *Francois Pienaar
  • *Martin Johnson
  • *John Smit
  • *Brian Lochore
  • *Bob Dwyer
  • *Kitch Christie
  • *Rod Macqueen
  • *Clive Woodward
  • *Jake White
  • *Gareth Rees
  • *Agustín Pichot
  • *Brian Lima
  • *Jonah Lomu