Kennedy Claims World Sevens Series Awards Double

Terry Kennedy was honoured last night as a member of the HSBC Dream Team for this season, as well as being crowned the Gilbert Top Try Scorer for the 2021/22 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The Men’s Series came to an exciting conclusion in Los Angeles, with Australia clinching the title for the first time and Ireland making history with their best ever overall finish of fifth place.

Kennedy played a crucial role in Ireland’s stellar nine-tournament campaign, becoming only the eighth player in World Series history to score 50 or more tries in a single season.

The Dubliner’s awards double adds to Ireland’s already impressive list of World Sevens Series accolades this year, as Women’s star Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe won three awards – including the leading try scorer and Dream Team honours – back in May.

Kennedy’s team-mate Jordan Conroy was a previous winner of the same two awards in 2020, at the end of a Covid-19-impacted first year on the World Series for the Ireland Men as a core team.

The awards, presented on Sunday at a ceremony held at the Torrance Marriot Redondo Beach Hotel, recognise and celebrate the players and teams who have performed at the highest level across this season’s series and produced the most memorable moments that thrilled and inspired fans around the globe.

Aside from the Men’s Try of the Series, which was voted for by fans on social media from a list of three nominees, winners have been selected by the World Rugby Sevens Series Awards panel, comprising former international Sevens players and series commentators, across the eight categories.

HSBC WORLD RUGBY MEN’S SEVENS SERIES – 2021/22 AWARD WINNERS:

Rookie of the Year: Corey Toole (Australia)

Nominees: Henry Paterson (Australia) and Dietrich Roache (Australia)

This award goes to a player who has made their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut in the current season and delivered an outstanding performance.

All three nominees came from Australia with the winner Corey Toole the only one of the trio not to have previously featured at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Toole made his series debut for Australia sevens at the first round of the 2022 Series in Dubai, alongside his fellow nominees Henry Paterson and Dietrich Roache.

Toole finished the series as the second leading try scorer with 43 tries, breaking the record for an Australian player and also the most by a rookie player in 2022.

Gilbert Top Try Scorer: Terry Kennedy (Ireland)

After scoring an incredible 50 tries in 52 games across this season’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Ireland’s Terry Kennedy won the Gilbert Top Try Scorer award, matching the achievement of compatriot Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe who topped the Women’s Series scoring charts this year.

Try of the Series: Jamie Farndale (Scotland), v New Zealand in Toulouse

Nominees: Henry Paterson (Australia) v New Zealand in London, Felipe del Mestre (Argentina) v Fiji in Vancouver

Jamie Farndale’s try against New Zealand in Toulouse was voted by fans worldwide as the Try of the Series. The other nominees were Henry Paterson for his overtime try against New Zealand in London that gave Australia their first tournament win since Sydney 2018, and Argentina’s Felipe del Mestre against Fiji in Vancouver on the way to winning their first leg since San Diego 2009.

Don’t Crack Under Pressure Award: Henry Paterson (Australia)

This award is given to the player or team that has shown the ability to perform under the unique and intense pressure of top level Sevens. This award was voted for by the panel and went to Henry Paterson for his match-winning try in overtime against New Zealand in the London Cup final.

The other nominees were Argentina for their incredible Cup final win over Fiji in Vancouver, and France for their extra-time victory against Samoa on home soil in Toulouse.

DHL Impact Player: Corey Toole (Australia) 

This award is for the player who demonstrated the most consistency and delivered the greatest impact against four key criteria – carries, offloads, line-breaks and tackles.

This year’s winner was Corey Toole of Australia, who made 161 runs, 75 tackles and 45 breaks throughout the season.

Capgemini Leadership Award: Argentina

This award celebrates the team that has upped their performance and climbed the rankings throughout the season. Results have been tracked throughout all the rounds, and Argentina have ranked first in this year’s series, which included only their third ever title, and first since 2009, as they overcame Fiji in an epic decider in Vancouver.

HSBC Dream Team: Corey Toole (Australia), Terry Kennedy (Ireland), Marcos Moneta (Argentina), Nick Malouf (Australia), Waisea Nacuqu (Fiji), Luciano Gonzalez (Argentina), Zain Davids (South Africa)

Corey Toole – Toole made his series debut for Australia sevens in the first round in Dubai, and finished the Series as the second leading try scorer with 43 tries, the most by a rookie player.

Terry Kennedy – Led the series in the number of tries, assists and carries, and was second in line-breaks behind Corey Toole.

Marcos Moneta – The 2021 World Sevens Player of the Year scored 10 tries to help Argentina to victory in Vancouver where he was awarded the HSBC Player of the Final. He scored 38 tries in total during the series, despite missing the final round in LA.

Nick Malouf – The Australia captain led his team to a long-awaited Men’s Series title and contributed eight tries, 11 clean breaks, 82 tackles and 74 carries throughout the campaign.

Waisea Nacuqu – In his eighth season on series, Fiji’s talisman was awarded the HSBC Player of the Final in Toulouse. During the series he scored 230 points, 24 tries, 19 clean breaks, 85 carries and 62 tackles.

Luciano Gonzalez – A key member of Argentina’s impressive campaign which involved a first Cup final win since 2009. He recorded 30 tries, 32 clean breaks, 39 tackles and 173 carries – the second highest in the series.

Zain Davids – Helped South Africa to claim consecutive victories in the first four rounds of the series and ended with 13 tries, 68 carries, 18 line breaks, 3 offloads, 1 try assist and 91 tackles.

Fair Play Award: Japan

The Fair Play Award is selected by the match officials and recognises the team that showcased rugby’s values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect. This year’s recipient was Japan.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin was in attendance at the awards and said: “On behalf of World Rugby, I would like to congratulate all of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series award winners.

“There was some truly sensational Sevens played across the series and audiences were entertained by the speed, skill and all-action drama of Sevens, capturing the attention of new players and fans worldwide and inspiring young boys and girls around the globe to get involved in rugby.

“It was a fantastic marker of the highly competitive nature of international Sevens to see four teams still in with a chance of winning the series title heading into the crucial final round in Los Angeles.

“With the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town kicking off on September 9-11, and the Olympic Games in Paris less than two years away, the future of Sevens is very bright.”