Peers vote Savea the best in New Zealand

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Ardie Savea has been voted the best All Black of 2019 by his fellow players.

The New Zealand Rugby Players Association have announced their award winners for the season, as voted by the players.

Savea won the players’ international men’s player of the year award, beating out All Blacks teammates Beauden Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown, Kieran Read and Codie Taylor.

Savea, who played nine tests for the All Blacks in 2019, was nominated for the World Rugby player of the year award following the Rugby World Cup but lost out to Springbok Pieter-Steph du Toit.

The All Blacks loose forward is facing a lengthy injury layoff in 2020, announcing earlier this month he will undergo knee surgery and will miss most of the Super Rugby season for the Hurricanes.

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In other awards categories, Charmaine McMenamin was named players’ international women’s player of the year, Tone Ng Shui took out players’ men’s seven’s player of the year and Ruby Tui the players’ women’s seven’s player of the year.

Crusaders wing Sevu Reece won players’ Super Rugby player of the year award and Bay of Plenty’s Chase Tiatia the players’ Mitre 10 Cup player of the year award.

The New Zealand Rugby awards take place on Thursday night.

Beauden Barrett, Lienert-Brown and Savea have all been nominated for All Blacks Player of the Year while Black Ferns Kendra Cocksedge, Ayesha Leti-I’iga and McMenamin are all up for Black Ferns Player of the Year.

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