‘Speechless’ Sexton Seals World Rugby Awards Hat-Trick For Ireland

Ireland completed a World Rugby Awards hat-trick at last night’s ceremony to bring the curtain down on a stunning calendar year for the Six Nations Grand Slam champions, who also won a summer series in Australia and last week defeated New Zealand for the first time on home soil.

Out-half and vice-captain Jonathan Sexton is the first Irish recipient of the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year award since former captain Keith Wood in 2001. He beat off stiff competition from New Zealand number 10 Beauden Barrett, winner for the last two years, All Blacks winger Rieko Ioane and South African duo Faf de Klerk and Malcolm Marx.

Sexton is suffering from a throat infection and lost his voice, so Ireland captain Rory Best read out an acceptance speech on his behalf, saying: “Apologies for my throat infection, laryngitis, lost my voice! Thank you to my team-mates and coaches. If a number 10 wins an award like this, it is due to the team around him and his coaches making his job easier. We have some of the best coaches in the world and are led superbly by Rory and Pete (O’Mahony).

“I’d also like to thank my wife Laura who has been with me from the start. We’ve three young kids and she does absolutely everything to allow me to concentrate on the day job. I wouldn’t have been able to have the season I’ve had without her. Thank you so much, it is an incredible honour. I look at the other nominees and I admire all of them. Any of them would have been a worthy winner.”

Best had been on stage at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club a few minutes earlier to receive the World Rugby Team of the Year honour following Ireland’s exploits in the Six Nations, the 2-1 series win Down Under and an unbeaten four-match November run, totalling a record-equalling 11 Test wins in the calendar year for the men in green.

It is the first time Ireland have been selected as the Team of the Year, with the last northern Hemisphere recipients being England in 2003. Best commented: “It’s been an incredible twelve months, we’ve achieved a few little bit and pieces of history along the way. It’s a great squad to be a part of, some very good players and some jokers!

“A lot of hard work goes in, it’s a massive team effort. As Joe (Schmidt) said, there’s a lot of management, a lot of backroom staff, a lot of players. Those 23 guys were lucky enough to be on the pitch against New Zealand, and the 23 lucky enough to be on the pitch for the Grand Slam, but there’s so many more that contributed to it.

“We’re also very thankful to our partners, a few of whom are here tonight, who basically allow us to be selfish and do what we do, focus solely on the rugby. I think probably the Grand Slam stands out, to win it at Twickenham which is unbelievably tough place to go. All the pressure around it, it was just really, really special.”

Full-back Rob Kearney added: “I think we’ve got a great balance of youth with some experienced players, we’ve got some world class coaches and a squad of players who are really driven to succeed. You combine all of those together and you’ve got a very successful team.”

Joe Schmidt, who was unable to attend the ceremony, became only the second Ireland coach to win the World Rugby Coach of the Year award after Declan Kidney in 2009. Vice-captain Peter O’Mahony received the award on Joe’s behalf, saying: “Joe has been a super coach for us over the last five years. He did text me today to say he would like to thank a few people in his management.

“He couldn’t be here for family reasons but he would like to acknowledge everyone, his backroom staff. It’s a huge team effort that he builds, not just with his squad but also with his management. He’d like to pay a huge thanks to them and also the players.”

Ireland’s Jordan Larmour and CJ Stander were nominated in the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year and IRP Try of the Year categories respectively, but missed out to South Africa’s Aphiwe Dyantyi and New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick, who started and finished a terrific team try against Australia in this year’s Rugby Championship.

Sexton was joined on the winners’ podium by Jessy Trémoulière who made history as the first French recipient of the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award, having helped les Bleues win the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “Tonight we have celebrated and recognised excellence and achievement during what has been another fantastic year for rugby. From the players, coaches and teams who have made 2018 a year to remember, to the volunteers who are the heart of the growth of the game – we salute them all.

“Once again, it has been a difficult task selecting our award recipients and all our nominees are winners in their own right. I would like to congratulate the recipients for being outstanding rugby ambassadors and thank Monaco, and their Serene Highnesses for their full and enthusiastic hosting of what has been another fantastic celebration of the sport.”

The World Rugby award winners were selected by an independent panel, who voted on every match from the Six Nations through to the November internationals over the last few weeks. For more details on the respective awards panels, click here.

2018 WORLD RUGBY AWARDS – LIST OF WINNERS:

World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year (in association with Mastercard) – Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)

The oldest of the nominees at 33, Sexton has been at the heart of Ireland’s climb to second in the World Rugby rankings on the back off a Six Nations Grand Slam, a first series win in Australia for 39 years and a first victory over New Zealand on Irish soil. The talismanic out-half, a calming presence in the Irish back-line, began the year by kicking a last-minute drop goal to secure victory over France and has started eight of his nine Tests in 2018, scoring 99 points.

Nominees: Beauden Barrett (New Zealand), Faf de Klerk (South Africa), Rieko Ioane (New Zealand), Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year (in association with Mastercard) – Jessy Trémoulière (France)

World Rugby Team of the Year – Ireland

The first northern Hemisphere recipients since England in 2003, Ireland have won 11 of their 12 Tests in 2018 with the first Test loss to Australia in June the only blot on their record. This run has seen Ireland win the Six Nations Grand Slam, a first series in Australia for 39 years and beat New Zealand for the first time on Irish soil. The results have also seen them rise to number two in the World Rugby rankings.

Nominees: New Zealand, South Africa

World Rugby Coach of the Year – Joe Schmidt (Ireland)

A shrewd tactician and communicator, Joe Schmidt has overseen the most successful period in Irish Rugby history, adding a Grand Slam title, a first series win in Australia since 1979 and a first win over his native New Zealand on Irish soil to his resume in 2018 to become only the second Ireland coach to claim this accolade after Declan Kidney in 2009.

Nominees: Rassie Erasmus (South Africa), Steve Hansen (New Zealand)

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year (in association with Tudor) – Aphiwe Dyantyi (South Africa)

World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year (in association with HSBC) – Perry Baker (USA)

World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year (in association with HSBC) – Michaela Blyde (New Zealand)

World Rugby Referee Award – Angus Gardner (Australia)

Award for Character (in association with Land Rover) – Doddie Weir (Scotland)

Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – Yoshiro Mori (Japan)

Spirit of Rugby Award (in association with Dove Men+Care) – Jamie Armstrong, The Clan (Scotland)

IRP Try of the Year – Brodie Retallick (New Zealand v Australia)

IRP Special Merit Award – Stephen Moore (Australia) and DJ Forbes (New Zealand)