|
Our Personal Rugby Adventures
What are you doing for the world cup? Got a grandstand going on? Touring to NZ? Biggest barbie ever?
Brilliant Read Handed Top Award 10 views 0 Images
04 December 2013 by Englandfan
See all
|
| |
New Zealand have been rewarded for their brilliant form throughout 2013 by winning a host of accolades at the International Rugby Board awards.
The All Blacks, who defied the rugby betting to win all 14 of the Tests they played during the year, the first team in the professional era to achieve such a feat, won Team of the Year for the seventh time.
No. 8 Kieran Read was named World Player of the Year while Steve Hansen picked up the Coach of the Year award for the second time in a row.
"This is fantastic recognition of a very special team," said New Zealand Rugby chairman Mike Eagle. "We are very proud of what Steve, Kieran and the team have achieved in 2013 as they have worked hard to be the best."
Read, who beat off competition from Ben Smith, Leigh Halfpenny, Eben Etzebeth and Sergio Parisse, is the third All Black to win the award, following Dan Carter in 2005 and 2012 and Richie McCaw in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
However, Read believes several teams are getting better and closing the gap on the All Blacks, saying: "South Africa are really close. They're building pretty nicely. And a couple of northern teams - England and Wales - are pretty good sides. So we've got to keep improving."
Fans who bet on rugby will recall that New Zealand were pushed hard in the last two autumn internationals before managing to keep up their 100 per cent winning record in 2013.
They needed a last-gasp try and conversion to edge past Ireland 24-22 in Dublin, just a week after trailing England in the second half in Twickenham before eventually emerging victorious 30-22.
Earlier in November the All Blacks had thrashed Japan 54-6 in Tokyo before being given a stern test by France, eventually prevailing 26-19 in Paris.
|
|
|
Tags:
|
|
No image available
|
|
|
|
|
|