World Rugby Awards
The World Rugby Awards are given out annually by World Rugby, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001. The International Rugby Players' Association also gives out two awards, for Try of the Year and Special Merit, as a part of the programme.
2001
- IRB Player of the Year: Keith Wood
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Rod Macqueen
- IRB International Young Player of the Year: Gavin Henson
- IRB International Women's Player of the Year: Shelley Rae
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Ed Morrison
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Tim Grandadge
- IRB Distinguished Service Award: Tom Kiernan
- IRB Development Award: Jorge Brasceras
- IRB Chairman's Awards: Kath McLean, Sir Terry McLean, Albert Ferrasse, John Eales
2002
- IRB Player of the Year: Fabien Galthié
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Bernard Laporte
- IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Luke McAlister
- IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Pat Barnard
- IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB International Women's Player of the Year: Monique Hirovanaa
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Colin Hawke
- IRB Distinguished Services Award: Allan Hosie
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Old Christians Club
- IRB Development Award: John Broadfoot
- IRB Chairman's Awards: Bill Mclaren, George Pippos
2003
- IRB International Player of the Year: Jonny Wilkinson
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Sir Clive Woodward
- IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Jean Baptiste Payras
- IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Ben Atiga
- IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Michael & Linda Collinson
- IRB Award for Distinguished Service: Bob Stuart
- IRB Referee Distinguished Service Award: Derek Bevan
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Kathy Flores
- IRB Development Award: Tan Theany & Philippe Monnin
- IRB Chairman's Award: Vernon Pugh
2004
- IRB International Player of the Year: Schalk Burger
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Jake White
- IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Jeremy Thrush
- IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Jerome Kaino
- IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Simon Amor
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Jarrod Cunningham
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Ronnie Dawson Ireland
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Jim Fleming
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Donna Kennedy
- IRB Development Award: Guedel Ndiaye
- IRB Chairman's Award: Marcel Martin
2005
- IRB International Player of the Year: Daniel Carter
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
- IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Isaia Toeava
- IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Tatafu Polota-Nau
- IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Orene Ai’i
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Jean Pierre Rives
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Peter Crittle
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Paddy O'Brien
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Farah Palmer
- IRB Development Award: Robert Antonin
- IRB Chairman's Award: Sir Tasker Watkins V.C., G.B.E, D.L
2006
- IRB International Player of the Year: Richie McCaw,
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry,
- IRB International U19 Player of the Year: Josh Holmes
- IRB International U21 Player of the Year: Lionel Beauxis
- IRB International Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Uale Mai
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Polly Miller
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Brian Lochore
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Peter Marshall
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Margaret Alphonsi
- IRB Development Award: Mike Luke
- IRB Hall of Fame inductees: William Webb Ellis and Rugby School
2007
- IRB International Player of the Year: Bryan Habana,
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Jake White,
- IRB Under-19 Player of the Year: Robert Fruean,
- IRB Sevens Player of the Year: Afeleke Pelenise,
- IRB Sevens Team of the Year:
- IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Sarah Corrigan, referee, Australia
- :In 2007, she became the first woman ever to referee in an IRB 15-man tournament outside of the Women's Rugby World Cup when she took charge of the match between and in the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship.
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Dick Byres, retired, Australia
- :After refereeing 14 Tests, he was a charter member of the IRB Referee Selector panel when it was formed in 1997, and was the longest-serving member of the panel when he retired in 2007.
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: José María Epalza,
- :After a playing career that saw him earn 38 caps for, and coaching the Spanish national team from 1986 to 1990, he went on to a distinguished career in rugby administration, serving in several key posts in the Spanish Rugby Federation and FIRA–AER.
- Spirit of Rugby Award: Nicolas Pueta,
- :Pueta regularly plays club rugby despite having a congenital femoral deficiency that meant that his left leg never grew to the same size as his right one.
- IRPA Try of the Year: Takudzwa Ngwenya,
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Fabien Pelous,
- :Pelous is the most-capped player in France history, and also the most-capped lock ever.
- IRB Development Award: Jacob Thompson, Jamaica
- :Ever since returning home to Jamaica from England in the 1970s, Thompson has tirelessly worked to promote the sport in his homeland. He has been president of the Jamaica Rugby Union since 1999.
- IRB Hall of Fame inductees:
- *Pierre de Coubertin,
- *Wilson Whineray,
- *Danie Craven, South Africa
- *Gareth Edwards,
- *John Eales,
2008
- IRB Player of the Year: Shane Williams,
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry,
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: Luke Braid,
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: DJ Forbes,
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Roelien Muller and Patrick Cotter
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Andre Watson
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Carol Isherwood
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Agustín Pichot
- IRB Development Award: TAG Rugby Development Trust and Martin Hansford
- IRPA Try of the Year: Brian O'Driscoll
2009
- IRB Player of the Year: Richie McCaw
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Declan Kidney
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: Aaron Cruden
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Ollie Phillips
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: L'Aquila Rugby
- :The town of L'Aquila, with long rugby traditions, was hit on 6 April 2009 by an earthquake which left 307 people dead and tens of thousands homeless. Amongst the victims was promising young prop Lorenzo Sebastiani, who had played in the last IRB Junior World Championship in Wales. L'Aquila Rugby Club provided shelter, refuge and comfort to people in the town. L'Aquila's Rugby were in the front line of the rescue effort, and helped evacuate victims from damaged buildings.
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: to be awarded
- IRB International Women's Personality of the Year: Debby Hodgkinson
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Kevin Mac Clancy
- IRB Development Award: to be awarded
- IRPA Try of the Year: Jaque Fourie
2010
- IRB Player of the Year: Richie McCaw
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: Julian Savea
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Mikaele Pesamino
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Jean-Claude Baqué
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Virreyes RC
- IRB Women's Personality of the Year Carla Hohepa
- IRB Development Award winner Brian O'Shea
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service Colin High
- IRPA Try of the Year: Chris Ashton
2011
- IRB Player of the Year: Thierry Dusautoir
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Graham Henry
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: George Ford
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Cecil Afrika
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Jock Hobbs
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Wooden Spoon Society United Kingdom
- IRB Women's Personality of the Year: Ruth Mitchell
- IRB Development Award winner: Rookie Rugby USA
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Keith Lawrence
- IRPA Special Merit Award: George Smith
- IRPA Try of the Year: Radike Samo
- IRB Hall of Fame inductees:
- *Roger Vanderfield
- *Richard Littlejohn
- *Nicholas Shehadie
- *John Kendall-Carpenter
- *David Kirk
- *Nick Farr-Jones
- *Francois Pienaar
- *Martin Johnson
- *John Smit
- *Brian Lochore
- *Bob Dwyer
- *Kitch Christie
- *Rod Macqueen
- *Clive Woodward
- *Jake White
- *Gareth Rees
- *Agustín Pichot
- *Brian Lima
- *Jonah Lomu
2012
- IRB Player of the Year: Daniel Carter
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Steve Hansen
- IRB International Sevens Player of the Year: Tomasi Cama
- IRB Development Award: South African Rugby Union
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Paul Dobson
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: Jan Serfontein
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Viorel Morariu
- IRB Spirit of Rugby Award: Lindsay Hilton
- IRPA Try of the Year: Bryan Habana
- IRB Hall of Fame inductees:
2013
- IRB Player of the Year: Kieran Read
- IRB International Team of the Year:
- IRB International Coach of the Year: Steve Hansen
- IRB Sevens Player of the Year: Tim Mikkelson
- IRB Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Kayla McAlister
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Michel Lamoulie
- IRPA Try of the Year: Beauden Barrett
2014
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Brodie Retallick
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Steve Hansen
- IRB Sevens Player of the Year: Samisoni Viriviri
- IRB Women's Player of the Year: Magali Harvey
- IRB Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Emilee Cherry
- IRB Junior Player of the Year: Handré Pollard
- IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service: Bob Francis
- IRPA Try of the Year: Francois Hougaard
2015
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Dan Carter
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Michael Cheika
- World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: Nehe Milner-Skudder
- World Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Kendra Cocksedge
- World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Werner Kok
- World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Portia Woodman
- World Rugby Referee Award: Nigel Owens Wales
- IRPA Try of the Year Julian Savea
- 2015 Rugby World Cup best match moment: 's final try and victory against
- IRPA Special Merit Award:
- * Brian O'Driscoll
- * Nathan Sharpe
- Award for Character: Pakistan Rugby Union
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Nigel Starmer-Smith
2016
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Beauden Barrett
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Steve Hansen
- World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: Maro Itoje
- World Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Sarah Hunter
- World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Seabelo Senatla
- World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Charlotte Caslick
- World Rugby Referee Award: Alhambra Nievas Spain and Rasta Rasivhenge South Africa
- IRPA Try of the Year: Jamie Heaslip
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Jean de Villiers
- Award for Character: Rugby Opens Borders
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Syd Millar
2017
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Beauden Barrett
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Eddie Jones
- World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: Rieko Ioane
- World Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Portia Woodman
- World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Perry Baker
- World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Michaela Blyde
- World Rugby Referee Award: Joy Neville Ireland
- IRPA Try of the Year: Joaquín Tuculet
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Richie McCaw and Rachael Burford
- Award for Character: Eduardo Oderigo Argentina
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Marcel Martin France
2018
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Jonathan Sexton
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Joe Schmidt
- World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: Aphiwe Dyantyi
- World Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Jessy Tremouliere
- World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Perry Baker
- World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Michaela Blyde
- World Rugby Referee Award: Angus Gardner Australia
- IRPA Try of the Year: Brodie Retallick
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Stephen Moore and DJ Forbes
- Award for Character: Doddie Weir Scotland
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Yoshirō Mori Japan
2019
- World Rugby Player of the Year: Pieter-Steph du Toit
- World Rugby Team of the Year:
- World Rugby Coach of the Year: Rassie Erasmus
- World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: Romain Ntamack
- World Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Emily Scarratt
- World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Jerry Tuwai
- World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year: Ruby Tui
- World Rugby Referee Award: Wayne Barnes England
- IRPA Try of the Year: TJ Perenara
- IRPA Special Merit Award: Jamie Heaslip
- Award for Character: Kamaishi
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service: Bernard Lapasset France