8.30pm Embargo – Guinness PRO12 Award Winners Announced
For immediate release: Sunday 17 May 2015
Issued on behalf of GUINNESS PRO12 Rugby
Rhys Webb (Ospreys) won the ‘Players’ Player of the Season’ Award and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh) the ‘Young Player of the Season’ Award at the Guinness PRO12 Awards evening in the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin tonight (Sunday, 17 May).
Rhys Webb had already been named in the Guinness PRO12 Dream Team for the season last week and scooped the ‘Players’ Player of the Season’ award in absentia for his outstanding contribution to the Ospreys season. Rhys returned home to his new baby boy Jesse, born last Friday, after yesterday’s win at Connacht.
Voted for by the 12 Guinness PRO12 Club Captains and Vice-Captains, the Ospreys scrum half beat Craig Gilroy and CJ Stander to the title in an incredibly tight vote. Rhys Webb follows in the footsteps of Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Ruan Piennar (Ulster Rugby), Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Nick Williams (Ulster Rugby) and Rhys’ half-back partner Dan Biggar (Ospreys) in picking up the prestigious award.
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne picked up the ‘Young ‘Player of the Season’ title after not only breaking into and starting in the Edinburgh side, but also into the Scottish national team.
He follows in the footsteps of Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Luke Marshall (Ulster Rugby) and Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) as the ‘Young Player of the Season’.
Gregor Townsend (Glasgow Warriors) won the ‘Coach of the Season’ award after steering Glasgow into 1st place in the League and the Play-Offs again. His side put together 16 number of wins during the campaign, in what was agreed as a very attractive brand of rugby and finished in 1st place overall to secure a home tie to face Ulster at Scotstoun next Friday evening.
Glasgow Warriors’ captain Alastair Kellock received the ‘Chairman’s Award’ in recognition of his outstanding service to the development of Glasgow & Scottish rugby, his performances and service to his country, the tournament as a whole and the game of rugby union.
Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby) won the Sky Sports Try of the Year, polling over 60% of the public vote,
with his great score against Scarlets. Munster’s Jack O’Donoghue was runner up with his excellent try
versus Cardiff Blues.
Glasgow Warriors also took home another award as they took over from Ospreys as winners of the ‘Rhino Collision Kings’ title after a panel of experts assessed their efficiency at the breakdown and tackling,
Leinster’s Ian Madigan scooped the Rhino Golden Boot Award with 87.04% (47 kicks out of 54) with Dan Biggar (Ospreys) coming a close second with 86.96% (60 kicks out of 69).
It was a good night for Connacht, as they won a £10,000 cheque to put towards youth development after claiming the ‘SpecSavers Fair Play Award’ for having the fewest yellow and red cards and citings over the 22 games.
The GUINNESS PRO12 Dream Team 2014/15, selected by an independent Media Panel, chaired by Rory Sheridan, Head of Sponsorship – Western Europe, Diageo :
15 – Liam Williams (Scarlets), 14 – Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), 13 – Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), 12 – Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), 11 – Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby), 10 – Dan Biggar (Ospreys), 9 – Rhys Webb (Ospreys),
1 – Denis Buckley (Connacht), 2 – Rory Best (Ulster Rugby), 3 – W P Nel (Edinburgh), 4 – Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys) CAPTAIN, 5 – Franco van der Merwe (Ulster), 6 – C J Stander (Munster), 7 – Tommy O’Donnell (Munster), 8 – Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors)
GUINNESS PRO12 AWARD WINNERS 2014/15
PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE SEASON Rhys Webb (Ospreys)
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh)
COACH OF THE SEASON Gregor Townsend (Glasgow Warriors)
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors)
SKY SPORTS TRY OF THE SEASON Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby)
RHINO GOLDEN BOOT Ian Madigan (Leinster)
RHINO COLLISION KINGS Glasgow Warriors
SPECSAVERS FAIRPLAY AWARD Connacht