A new-look World Rugby Awards ceremony will take place on 7 December to celebrate members of the rugby fraternity who have provided service to the public during the pandemic, and players and teams who have starred over the last decade.
With the global pandemic limiting test-match activity in 2020, this year’s Awards will be a virtual-hosted event across World Rugby’s digital and social platforms and will not feature the usual celebration of on-field achievements during the calendar year.
Uniquely, the awards will focus on members of the rugby family who showcased great solidarity during the pandemic, supporting their communities, getting involved in relief efforts and showcasing the sport’s character-building values.
The celebration will also look back at a decade of international rugby and recognise in eight new categories teams and individuals who have inspired players and fans around the world. Bringing the awards closer to fans, winners in six categories will be decided by an online vote open to the public. The remaining two categories will be voted by the World Rugby Awards panel, a stellar team of rugby icons, who choose the annual World Rugby Awards player, team and coach winners.
World Rugby Awards Special Edition – eight categories:
Fans’ Choice
- Men’s 15s Player of the Decade in association with Tudor
- Women’s 15s Player of the Decade in association with Tudor
- Men’s Sevens Player of the Decade in association with HSBC
- Women’s Sevens Player of the Decade in association with HSBC
- Men’s 15s Try of the Decade in association with International Rugby Players
- Women’s 15s Try of the Decade in association with International Rugby Players
World Rugby Awards Panel Choice
- Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Decade
- Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Decade
The event will be co-hosted by former England international and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Maggie Alphonsi and rugby presenter Alex Payne on Monday, 7 December. The show will be made available for free to rugby fans globally via World Rugby digital channels.
‘We are excited to host our World Rugby Awards in an innovative format this year to acknowledge the exceptional circumstances our sport has gone through in recent months,’ World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said.
‘The World Rugby Awards Special Edition will embody the core rugby value of solidarity and I am extremely proud to use this platform to recognise efforts made by members of our global rugby family to fight the pandemic.
‘It will also be a night of celebration with accolades for teams and individuals that have showcased tremendous talent on the field of play over the last decade. I am looking forward to seeing who rugby fans around the world will decide to honour.’
The list of nominees and details of the online vote for the six Fans’ Choice categories will be unveiled in due course.
