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Ian Foster and Scott Robertson were both pipped for their respective coach of the year gongs.
One guided the Crusaders to a seventh consecutive Super Rugby title to sign out in champagne style and the other got the All Blacks to within a whisker of a fairytale World Cup victory – but both Scott Robertson and Ian Foster have been overlooked at the New Zealand Rugby awards.
In probably the most interesting twist of a night that saw world player of the year, and All Blacks metre-eating machine, Ardie Savea win the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial award for overall best player, the coaching gongs provided the major talking points on Thursday.
Robertson, who wound up a perfect coaching stint with the Crusaders with a meritorious victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton, was pipped for the domestic coach of the year honours by Taranaki supremo Neil Barnes who guided the Amber and Blacks to a popular NPC triumph in a remarkable turnaround from the year previous.
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All Blacks coach talks at Auckland Airport on their return from the Rugby World Cup.
And Foster, whose All Blacks stint nearly ended in a fairytale finish at the World Cup, with his undermanned side pipped 12-11 by the Boks in an enthralling fnal in Paris, missed out on the national coach of the year prize to Black Ferns sevens guru Cory Sweeney who piloted a remarkable run to the world series title.
After losing the final of the opening ‘22-23 event in Dubai against Australia, the New Zealand women’s sevens outfit claimed six straight tournaments, with their winning streak eventually reaching 41 until Australia beat them in the latest Dubai final last week.
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Black Ferns Sevens coach Corey Sweeney.
It’s hard to argue with either coach prize, with both Barnes and Sweeney masterminding outstanding campaigns, though it did take something special to pip the All Blacks coaches both past and present. Robertson, who has assumed the national team reins from Foster, did well to guide an injury-ravaged Crusaders outfit through a tricky finish to their season and round out his perfect record in the franchise competition, while Foster shook off a turbulent four years to all but complete a storybook World Cup triumph.
Savea’s triumphant night at the made-for-TV awards came a month after he deservedly claimed World Rugby’s biggest prize in Paris following an outstanding World Cup. The All Blacks No 8 won the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial award for the second time, while he was also named the All Blacks’ best player for the third consecutive year.
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Ardie Savea capped a stellar year with even more awards.
The world series winning All Blacks and Black Ferns sevens teams were each recognised with the respective national team of the year awards.
South Canterbury’s undefeated season in the Heartland competition earned them the New Zealand men’s team of the year prize after claiming the Meads Cup for a third consecutive season, while the Auckland Storm won the women’s equivalent for their Farah Palmer Cup triumph.
Championship-winning coach Rawinia Everitt was named national competitions coach of the year for her efforts with the Northland Kauri, while.Crusaders captain Scott Barrett and Matatū loose forward Lucy Jenkins took home the respective Super Rugby player gongs.
Champion halfback Aaron Smith, in his farewell season in New Zealand rugby, was named the Tom French Memorial Māori player of the year, with Akuila Rokolisoa and Stacey Waaka taking the respective sevens player gongs. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u was named the Black Ferns’ best, while fans’ try of the year, decided by public vote, went to Will Jordan’s finish following some Damian McKenzie magic against Uruguay in the World Cup.
NZ Rugby award winners for 2023
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Volunteer: Allen Grainger (Waikato)
Club: Auckland University
Community impact: Steven Li (Asian non-contact programme)
Age-grade player: Harry Godfrey (Hawke’s Bay)
Heartland player: Siu Kakala (South Canterbury)
NPC player: Etene Nanai-Seturo (Counties Manukau)
FPC player: Krysten Cottrell (Hawke’s Bay)
National men’s coach: Neil Barnes (Taranaki)
National women’s coach: Rawinia Everitt (Northland)
New Zealand coach: Cory Sweeney (Black Ferns Sevens)
Super Rugby Pacific player: Scott Barrett (Crusaders)
Super Rugby Aupiki player: Lucy Jenkins (Matatū)
Tom French Memorial Māori player: Aaron Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu, Manawatū)
Richard Crawshaw Memorial NZ men’s sevens player: Akuila Rokolisoa
NZ women’s sevens player: Stacey Waaka
Black Ferns player: Liana Mikaele-Tu’u
All Blacks player: Ardie Savea
National men’s team: South Canterbury
National women’s team: Auckland Storm
New Zealand team: All Blacks sevens
Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year: Ardie Savea
