Penney named as top coach at RaboDirect Pro12 awards

Munster head coach Rob Penney picked up the title of Coach of the Season at last night's RaboDirect Pro 12 awards, as he heads into his final stint with the Irish side.

"It's a wonderful accolade, very humbling and a bit embarrassing to be fair," he said when he accepted the award.

Former New Zealand player Penney, who joined Munster in 2012, has brought his side to the knockout stages of both the Heineken Cup and the RaboDirect Pro 12 competitions. In February, he announced he would not be renewing his contract for an optional third year, choosing instead to depart for Japan and coach the NTT Shining Arcs.

Munster man JJ Hanrahan also picked up the coveted Golden Boot award for the highest conversion rate of place kicks during the season - and with a success rate of 88.71%, Hanrahan took the title ahead of Gareth Davies (Cardiff) and Dan Biggar (Ospreys).

Other Irish players on the list included Brian O'Driscoll and Leo Cullen, who picked up the Chairman's Award.