McGahan picks up ‘Coach of the Season’ gong

MUNSTER may be struggling for team silverware this season but the personal accolades continue to head towards the southern province.

Magners League chiefs named Tony McGahan as Coach of the Season at a gala awards banquet in Carton House on Sunday while Alan Quinlan received the Chairman’s Award from Scottish legend Andy Irvine.

Ronan O’Gara, the only Munster man on the Team of the Season, also picked up the Gilbert Golden Boot award for his goal kicking. Leinster won the ‘Specsavers Fairplay Award’ for the fewest yellow and red cards incurred over the 22 rounds of the regular season while Ulster’s South African recruit Ruan Pienaar was voted‘Players’ Player of the Season’. The awards are selected by a panel of 19 journalists.

Players’ Player of the Season: Ruan Pienaar (Ulster); Coach of the Season: Tony McGahan (Munster); Young Player of the Season: Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons); Chairman’s Award: Alan Quinlan (Munster); Try of theSeason: Ashley Beck (Ospreys); Gilbert Golden Boot: Ronan O’Gara (Munster); Specsavers Fairplay Award: Leinster.

DREAM TEAM: I Nacewa (Leinster) F Carr (Connacht), C Laulala (Cardiff), J Davies (Scarlets), T Visser (Edinburgh), R O’Gara (Munster), R Pienaar (Ulster), I Thomas (Scarlets), R Strauss (Leinster), M Ross (Leinster), R Gray (Glasgow), A W Jones (Ospreys), S O’Brien (Leinster), S Warburton (Cardiff), J Heaslip (Leinster).