Nash And O’Leary Win Top Honours At Munster Rugby Awards

11 awards were presented to worthy recipients involved in professional and domestic rugby in Munster.

Nash enjoyed an excellent 2023/24 campaign which saw him score six tries in 18 appearances for Munster, including a superb solo effort against Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup.

The Limerick man’s rich form was rewarded with call-ups to the Ireland squad for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations and the summer tour of South Africa. He was ever-present in the number 14 jersey during the Six Nations and the summer tour, scoring two tries.

Maeve Óg O’Leary, who is the Bank of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year, had another impressive season which saw her start all four matches for Munster in the 2023/24 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, scoring two tries.

Back rower O’Leary also played in the province’s historic clash with the Barbarians at Thomond Park, before going on to represent Ireland in the WXV3 tournament in Dubai.

The Virgin Media Supporters’ Player of the Year award was introduced by Munster this year, with John Hodnett and Muirne Wall winning the Men’s and Women’s honours respectively.

Ireland Under-20 star Brian Gleeson was announced as the province’s Academy Player of the Year, while the Breakthrough Women’s Player of the Year went to talented teenage hooker Beth Buttimer.

The Munster senior Men’s and Women’s squads and management teams were all in attendance at the ceremony, joining domestic game volunteers in recognising and honouring rugby achievements across the province. A full list of winners is below:

Bank of Ireland Men’s Player of the Year – Calvin Nash

Nash has been selected as the Bank of Ireland Men’s Player of the Year after an outstanding campaign with his province and country.

The winger scored six tries in 18 starts for Munster and was a constant menace for opposition defences in the BKT United Rugby Championship and the Investec Champions Cup.

The 2023/24 season saw Nash progress into the Ireland squad and make a huge impression. He made his Ireland debut against Italy in August 2023, before starting all five games of the 2024 Six Nations.

Nash was a try scorer on his Six Nations debut away to France in Marseille and also touched down against Italy, helping Ireland to retain the Six Nations title.

He was unfortunate to miss the United Rugby Championship play-offs due to injury, but returned to start both Tests of Ireland’s drawn summer series in South Africa.

The 27-year-old has been a member of the senior Munster squad since 2018, having come up through the ranks at Young Munster and Crescent College Comprehensive.

Bank of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year – Maeve Óg O’Leary

O’Leary was a leading performer for Munster during their Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial title defence in 2023/24. She also represented the province against the Barbarians, and was part of the Ireland squad that won the WXV3 event in Dubai.

The 24-year-old, who has made 11 senior appearances for Munster, has unfortunately endured an injury-disrupted year due to knee injuries, and was a training panellist with Ireland’s Six Nations squad.

O’Leary made her senior debut for Munster in August 2021 and has since become a cornerstone of the Munster team. Her award was received by her parents, Delilah and Declan, on her behalf.

Coming up through the ranks at Ballina-Killaloe RFC, the Tipperary native also represented Munster at Under-18 level in both 15s and Sevens.

Virgin Media Supporters’ Player of the Year – John Hodnett and Muirne Wall

A poll for the Virgin Media Supporters’ Player of the Year awards was held on the Munster Rugby website last week,  with Hodnett and Wall coming out on top against their peers.

Back rower Hodnett enjoyed another terrific season which saw him score three tries in 18 appearances for Munster, while scrum half Wall started all four games for Munster during the 2023/24 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, in addition to lining out for the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge.

The pair both came through the club system, with the 25-year-old Hodnett representing Clonakilty RFC in his youth, and Wall (24) lined out for both Listowel RFC and Tralee RFC.

Academy Player of the Year – Brian Gleeson

The 20-year-old Gleeson enjoyed a whirlwind first year in the Munster Rugby Academy that included 10 senior appearances and promotion to the senior squad on a two-year contract.

Gleeson, who came up through the ranks at Thurles RFC and Rockwell College, made his Munster debut against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in October 2023.

The Tipperary youngster made three Investec Champions Cup appearances last season at the age of just 19, lining out against Exeter Chiefs, Toulon, and Northampton Saints.

On the international front, he featured for the Ireland Under-20 in the 2024 U-20 Men’s Six Nations and captained the side in their World Rugby U-20 Championship semi-final loss to England.

The strong-carrying forward was a Grand Slam winner with the Ireland Under-20s in 2023, and plays his All-Ireland League rugby with Garryowen.

Breakthrough Women’s Player of the Year – Beth Buttimer

Munster hooker Buttimer, who only turned 19 last month, enjoyed a remarkable 2023/24 campaign for club, province and country.

She made her Munster debut against Connacht on her 18th birthday, during the 2023/24 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, and went on to play both matches against Leinster as Munster narrowly lost out on the title.

The Tipperary teenager won the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division title with UL Bohemian and also lined out for the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge.

At international level, she was a try-scoring player-of-the-match for the Ireland Under-20 Women in their first ever win over Scotland. She came up through the ranks at Rockwell College and Fethard & District RFC.

Referee of the Year – Andrew Brace

Brace was chosen as the province’s Referee of the Year for 2023/24, with his partner, Samantha, receiving the award from Pat Burke (pictured above).

It was a busy year for Brace as he was Ireland’s sole match referee at the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup, officiating in three matches during the pool stages. He was an assistant referee in five other games throughout the tournament.

The 36-year-old refereed a fantastic final in the Pinergy Munster Schools Boys’ Senior Cup back in March. In addition to his regular duties in EPCR and URC competitions, he regularly gives up his time to mentor and coach up-and-coming referees in Munster.

Bank of Ireland Senior Club of the Year – Nenagh Ormond RFC

Nenagh Ormond RFC are the winners of this year’s Bank of Ireland Senior Club of the Year award. The Tipperary club enjoyed a fantastic season both on and off the pitch.

Nenagh Ormond memorably finished top of the table in Energia All Ireland League Men’s Division 2A, gaining automatic promotion to the competition’s second tier.

One of the province’s oldest clubs, Nenagh Ormond RFC was founded in 1884, and their senior Men’s team has played in the All-Ireland League since 2005/06, the first Tipperary club to do so.

With a thriving age-grade section, they boast several full senior international players among their alumni, including Fiona Steed, Trevor Hogan, Donnacha Ryan, and Ben Healy.

In the past 12 months there have been major developments in the club, which include a full size 3G pitch, a 50x14m 3G training surface, upgraded LED floodlighting, and upgraded gym and dressing rooms.

The first competitive match on their new artificial surface will take place this coming Saturday when Nenagh host Cork Constitution in the Bank of Ireland Munster Senior Challenge Cup.

Bank of Ireland Junior Club of the Year – Clonakilty RFC

Clonakilty RFC are the winners of this year’s Bank of Ireland Junior Club of the Year award. The west Cork club have displayed excellent participation numbers across all age-grades for both boys and girls.

Clonakilty reached the Munster Clubs Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 Girls Cup finals, winning the U-16 title.

There is a club ethos towards promoting participation, and this is reflected in both minis and youth numbers approaching almost 700 players. They have also developed a strong affiliate referee panel, with 15 active referees, supported by two MAR officials in the club.

Clonakilty RFC has been very proactive in driving coaching course attendance and accreditation, while a new 4G pitch was also opened at the start of the 2023/24 season.

There are other ongoing works afoot to improve facilities at Shannon Vale, and they will be one of the first Munster clubs to undertake the Sustainable Clubs programme, which has been developed by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication as part of their ongoing Green Strategy.

School of the Year – Presentation Brothers College Cork

Presentation Brothers College are this year’s winners of the School of the Year award. The Cork school won a memorable double when lifting both the Munster Schools Boys’ Junior Cup and the Pinergy Munster Schools Boys’ Senior Cup.

The Mardyke outfit became the first school to go back-to-back in both flagship competitions since 1966. They are the first to accomplish a hat-trick of Junior Cup titles since 1986.

Pres’ record tally of Junior Cups (32) now matches their Senior Cup haul (the most wins in both competitions).

There was also a memorable weekend at the beginning of February when former pupils, Peter O’Mahony and Alex Kendellen, captained Ireland (v France) and Munster (v the Crusaders) respectively, within a 24-hour period.

Their 2024 Senior Cup captain, Gene O’Leary Kareem, has been rewarded with a place in the Munster Academy squad.

Club Age-Grade Section of the Year – Bruff RFC

Bruff RFC are this year’s winners of the Club Age-Grade Section of the Year award. The Limerick club fielded two teams in last season’s Munster Clubs Boys’ Under-18 competition, with one of the sides contesting the Cup final against Waterpark.

Bruff have fielded girls age-grade teams at all levels and have also positively engaged with Munster Rugby Development programmes.

They also hosted the IRFU’s ‘Give It A Try’ programme in April which ran for eight weeks. It gave girls aged between 8 and 14 an opportunity to play the sport of rugby in a fun environment.

Club Mini Section of the Year – Dungarvan RFC

Dungarvan RFC are this year’s winners of the Club Mini Section of the Year award. During the 2023/24 season, they hosted the Munster Minis Blitz, the largest blitz held in their history with everyone involved in the club working extremely hard to ensure its success.

The Waterford club has seen a lot of growth in the number of girls playing rugby, and they also have up to 140 Mini rugby players registered with the club.

Dungarvan took part in the IRFU Mini Rugby Festival in Dublin, and they will be hosting next season’s Aviva Minis blitz.