Rugby Players Ireland Award Nominees Announced

The nominees for this year’s Rugby Players Ireland Awards have been announced. Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park and Dan Sheehan have been revealed as the nominees for the Ireland Men’s 15s Players’ Player of the Year award.

Britanny Hogan, Aoife Wafer and Aoibheann Reilly have been shortlisted for the Women’s 15s Players’ Player of the Year honour.

Set to be hosted by former players Barry Murphy and Andrew Trimble, the Rugby Players Ireland Awards celebrates the on-and off-the-field achievements of Rugby Players Ireland’s members, and will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at the Clayton Hotel on the Burlington Road in Ballsbridge.

Nominated for the second year in succession, Sheehan once again cast his presence over a title-winning Guinness Men’s Six Nations campaign as he finished as the Championship’s joint-top try scorer (5 tries) with Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe.

The explosive 25-year-ol dhooker has also been a central feature of Leinster’s season which will see them contest the Investec Champions Cup final in London next week.

In addition to Sheehan’s contributions, Gibson-Park has taken his game to new heights this season for both province and country. In a year in which he received Irish citizenship, the star scrum half has been central to the national cause while leading Leinster’s evolution in the post-Jonathan Sexton era.

Having been nominated for both the Six Nations Player of the Championship and World Rugby Player of the Year awards, Aki has been in the form of his life and will hope to claim the prestigious Rugby Players Ireland award won by Caelan Doris last year.

Another nominee for Six Nations Player of the Championship this season was Wafer who led Ireland’s charge for WXV1 and Rugby World Cup qualification.

Having spent much of her young career on the sidelines due to injury, Wafer announced herself on the international stage with several powerful performances alongside fellow back rower Hogan, who has also been nominated for the Strata Financial Women’s 15s Players’ Player of the Year gong.

A gold medallist on the HSBC SVNS Series stage, quicksilver scrum half Reilly carried her good form in that code into the 15s game and completes the nominee list.

Wafer is also nominated for both the Energia Women’s 15s Young Player of the Year and AIB Corporate Banking Women’s 15s Try of the Year awards, categories which also feature promising 18-year-old winger Katie Corrigan.

Meanwhile, one of Tom Ahern, Joe McCarthy, or last year’s winner Jack Crowley, will be crowned the Nevin Spence Men’s 15s Young Player of the Year.

With Olympic qualification secured and several medals added to a growing SVNS Series haul, it has been another hugely positive year for the Ireland Sevens Programmes.

Having been part of the Women’s side that claimed that historic gold in Perth, Megan Burns is up for the TritonLake Women’s Sevens Players’ Player of the Year award, alongside Beibhinn Parsons and multiple award winner, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Terry Kennedy’s impressive return to the Men’s Sevens set-up sees him back on the nominees list for the TritonLake Men’s Sevens Player of the Year, which also features captain Harry McNulty and Zac Ward.

With any number of season highlights standing out, the Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort Moment of the Year will be amongst the most hotly-contested accolades.

The awards ceremony will also see the Zurich Irish Contribution to Society award presented to Keith Earls for his immense contribution to the community.

2024 RUGBY PLAYERS IRELAND AWARDS – LIST OF NOMINEES:

BDO IRELAND MEN’S 15s PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, Dan Sheehan

STRATA FINANCIALS WOMEN’S 15s PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Brittany Hogan, Aoibheann Reilly, Aoife Wafer

NEVIN SPENCE MEN’S 15s YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tom Ahern, Jack Crowley, Joe McCarthy

ENERGIA WOMEN’s 15s YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Katie Corrigan, Dannah O’Brien, Aoife Wafer

MSL MERCEDES-BENZ BALLSBRIDGE MEN’S 15s TRY OF THE YEAR

Craig Casey (v Leinster), James Lowe (v Scotland), Calvin Nash (v France)

AIB CORPORATE BANKING WOMEN’S 15s TRY OF THE YEAR

Katie Corrigan (v Italy), Katie Corrigan (v Wales), Aoife Wafer (v Wales)

TRITONLAKE MEN’S SEVENS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Terry Kennedy, Harry McNulty, Zac Ward

TRITONLAKE WOMEN’S SEVENS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Béibhinn Parsons