Black Ferns Sevens lead the Charge at World Rugby Awards

· Lynn McConnell · action press
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New Zealand's Olympic gold medal-winning Sevens Team are leading the charge for next week's World Rugby Awards in 2024.

The awards ceremony will be held in Monaco on November 24.

Michaela Blyde, who won the award in 2017 and 2018, scored 10 tries in New Zealand's Olympic Games win and another 53 tries in the SVNS series and Jorja Miller, who shared in both the defence of New Zealand's Olympic title and the SVENS series are two of the three nominees for the Women's Sevens Player of the Year. Australian Maddison Levi is the third nominee.

Black Ferns' first five-eighths, Hannah King, has been nominated as one of four Women's 15s Breakthrough Players of the Year. She was introduced to Test rugby this year and, in seven games, scored 14 points and made the five-eighths position her own.

England's Maddie Feaunati, Australia's Caitlyn Halse and Ireland's Erin King are the other nominees. 

In the men's side of the awards, All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi's meteoric rise in Test rugby is acknowledged in the Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year Award. Others named are Springbok five-eighths Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Ireland's Jamie Osborne.

The Black Ferns are also represented in the International Rugby Players Women's 15s Try of the Year for Georgia Ponsonby's try scored against Australia. That came after Sylvia Brunt made a stunning break before the ball moved through the hands of Iritana Hohaia and Amy du Plessis before Ponsonby scored. Tries scored by Italy, France and Australia also feature among the nominees.


Tries scored by France, Ireland (by New Zealander James Lowe), Italy, and Georgia feature in the Men's 15s Try of the Year.

In other awards, the contenders for the Men's 15s Player of the Year are Caelan Doris (Ireland), Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit (all South Africa), and the Women's 15s nominees are Pauling Bourdon Sansus (France), Ellie Kildunne (England), Alex Matthews (England) and Alex Tessler (Canada).

The Men's Sevens Player of the Year nominees are Antoine Dupont and Aaron Grandidier Nkanag (both France) and Terry Kennedy (Ireland).

Other wards to be announced are the International Rugby Players Special Merit Award, World Rugby's Coach of the Year, the World Rugby Men's and Women's 15 and Men's and Women's Sevens Dream Teams of the Year.

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