All Blacks skipper Sam Cane completed a notable awards double, but it was Black Ferns flanker Kennedy Simon who was the big winner when New Zealand’s rugby players dished out their annual gongs.
Cane followed up his success at New Zealand Rugby’s annual awards night, where he was named All Blacks player of the year and also the supreme Kelvin R Tremain Memorial winner, by taking out the international men’s gong at the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association’s annual prize-giving.
The awards are voted on by New Zealand’s leading players via their association.
Cane, so impressive at No 7 for the All Blacks through their truncated season, beat out prop Joe Moody, halfback Aaron Smith, first five-eighths Richie Mo’unga and lock Sam Whitelock to be named supreme international performer in 2020.
The All Blacks won just three of their six tests in the rearranged international season, but still managed to tuck away the Bledisloe Cup for another year and add the one-off Tri-Nations title to their cabinet in a tight finish.
Simon, the 24-year-old Waikato and Blacks Ferns standout who is capable of slotting into all three loose forward position, was named both international and Farah Palmer Cup player of the year on the back of an excellent 2020 season.
Simon got the nod ahead of halfback Kendra Cocksedge, prop Pip Love and loosies Charmain McMenamin and Aroha Savage to be deemed the Black Ferns’ best in 2020, while she nudged out Alana Bremner, Stacey Fluhler, Hazel Tubic and Portia Woodman to claim the Farah Palmer Cup gong.
Impressive Chiefs flanker Lachlan Boshier was the notable players’ choice for Super Rugby Aotearoa standout, beating out Blues wing Caleb Clarke, Crusaders flyer Will Jordan, Hurricanes bruiser Ngani Laumape and Blues No 8 Hoskins Sotutu for the honour.
Hard-nosed Hawke’s Bay skipper Ash Dixon deservedly followed up his NZ Rugby gong by being named players’ best in Mitre 10 Cup, ahead of team-mate Folau Fakatava, Tasman’s David and Sione Havili and Auckland wing Salesi Rayasi.
Ngarohi McGarvey-Black and Stacey Fluhler were named sevens players of the year, while Otago wing Freedom Vahaakolo was judged by his peers to be the best young performer of 2020, beating out AJ Lam, Zarn Sullivan, Josh Lord and Xavier Roe.
New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association awards (voted by players):
International men’s player of year: Sam Cane. International women’s player of year: Kennedy Simon.
Sevens men’s player of year: Ngarohi McGarvey-Black. Sevens women’s player of year: Stacey Fluhler.
Super Aotearoa player of year: Lachlan Boshier. Mitre 10 Cup player of year: Ash Dixon. Farah Palmer Cup player of year: Kennedy Simon. Young player of year: Freedom Vahaakolo.
