Sam Davies was among the winners at the Guinness PRO12 Awards for the second year running, picking up the Rhino Golden Boot at the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, this evening.
This time last year he was celebrating after being named Young Player of the Year, as well as being the sole Welsh representative in the PRO12 Dream Team for 2015/16.
Tonight he collected the Rhino Golden Boot after finishing the season with an 88 per cent success rate from the kicking tee, the second highest ever recorded in the competition, having made 44 of his 50 shots at goal.
Just 20 days away from the Guinness PRO12 Final at Aviva all four Semi-Finalist clubs saw players and coaches in the winners’ circle as a total of eight teams from the Championship had reason to celebrate.
Munster Rugby were the big winners on the night with six players named to the Guinness PRO12 Dream Team while Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, was named as Coach of the Season after returning the province to the Semi-Finals of the Championship.
Ulster Rugby’s Charles Piutau received the most coveted award of the night as he was voted the Guinness PRO12 Players’ Player of the Season.
Leinster Rugby’s Joey Carbery was named Young Player of the season which was voted for by a 30-strong media panel from across Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Scarlets winger Steff Evans, who scored against Ospreys in Round 22, was recognised as the Guinness PRO12’s top try-scorer as he finished the regular season campaign. Evans’ 11 tries helped to propel Scarlets into the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2013.
Ruan Pienaar’s score for Ulster Rugby against Glasgow Warriors in Round 15 was voted by readers of Independent.ie as the Try of the Season with the Springbok scrum-half starting and finishing a magnificent team effort.
Ken Owens was chosen as captain of the Dream Team, marking a fantastic season for the Scarlets hooker which has seen him win his 50th Cap for Wales, make his 200th appearance for the Region and earn a call-up to the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand this summer.
The 2015/16 Guinness PRO12 champions, Connacht Rugby, won the Specsavers Fair Play Award which was accepted by captain John Muldoon, who made his 300th appearance for the province this season. Connacht will receive £10,000 to put towards their youth development programme.
Finally, PRO12 Rugby chairman Gerald Davies presented the Guinness PRO12 Chairman’s Award to referee Nigel Owens to mark his contribution to the Championship over the course of the last 15 seasons. Owens made his 150th Championship appearance at Judgement Day V in April to add to an incredible career which saw him referee the World Cup Final in 2015.
List of Award winners:
Specsavers Fair Play Award – Connacht Rugby
Top Try-Scorer – Steff Evans (Scarlets)
Rhino Golden Boot – Sam Davies (Ospreys Rugby)
Young Player of the Season – Joey Carbery (Leinster Rugby)
Independent.ie Try of the Season – Ruan Pienaar (Ulster Rugby)
Dream Team Captain – Ken Owens (Scarlets)
Guinness PRO12 Coach of the Season – Rassie Erasmus (Munster Rugby)
Guinness PRO12 Players’ Player of the Season – Charles Piutau (Ulster Rugby)
Guinness PRO12 Chairman’s Award – Nigel Owens MBE
Guinness PRO12 Dream Team 2016/17:
15 Tiernan O’Halloran (Connacht Rugby)
14 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)
13 Jaco Taute (Munster Rugby)
12 Rory Scannell (Munster Rugby)
11 Charles Piutau (Ulster Rugby)
10 Tyler Bleyendaal (Munster Rugby)
9 Ruan Pienaar (Ulster Rugby)
8 Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby)
7 James Davies (Scarlets)
6 Dan Leavy (Leinster Rugby)
5 Billy Holland (Munster Rugby)
4 Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby)
3 John Ryan (Munster Rugby)
2 Ken Owens, Captain (Scarlets)
1 Dave Kilcoyne (Munster Rugby)
Both the Young Player of the Season and Dream Team were voted on by a 30-strong media panel from across Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Eligibility Criteria for Golden Boot:
The minimum criteria is 30 kicks at goal
Eligibility Criteria for Guinness PRO12 Players’ Player of the Season:
At least 10 appearances this season
Eligibility Criteria for Young Player of the Season:
At least 10 appearances this season
Uncapped at International level at the beginning of the season
Aged under 23 at the beginning of the season
Eligibility Criteria for Dream Team:
At least 10 appearances this season
