Sexton scoops second player of the year award
Johnny Sexton was crowned Guinness Rugby Writers’ Ireland Player of the Year for 2017/18 at Aviva Stadium last night as an unprecedented season of success for Irish rugby was celebrated at the annual Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards.
The Leinster and Ireland fly-half, who also won the prestigious award in 2012/13, saw both of his teams also recognised at the gala event in Dublin with the Irish rugby media also handing the national team its Dave Guiney Team of the Year Award, while his province won Club of the Year.
Sexton, 33, who guided Ireland to an historic first home victory over the All Blacks at the Aviva last Saturday, returned to the stadium last night alongside head coach Joe Schmidt and several teammates to receive his award, won last year by half-back partner Conor Murray.
“Thank you very much. It’s a very prestigious award to win in Ireland,” Sexton said. “You look at the list of players that have won it before, it’s very, very pleasing that your efforts can be acknowledged.
“It could have gone to many, many players with the season we had in this country, I can think of six or seven lads just off the top of my head, so I’m very happy to have been chosen.
“And it’s a second time, which is nice.”
Congrats to @JohnnySexton - the @GuinnessIreland Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards Player of the Season! #RWIAwards pic.twitter.com/38h77wMnRm
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) November 21, 2018
With Ireland, Sexton made pivotal contributions to winning the 2018 Six Nations, Triple Crown and a first Grand Slam since 2009, before heading to Australia and a securing the first series win over the Wallabies on Australian soil since 1979 that saw them rise to number two in the world rankings.
With Leinster there was a first Guinness PRO14 and European Rugby Champions Cup double, a body of work for which the fly-half has also been nominated for World Rugby Player of the Year, the winner set to be revealed this Sunday in Monaco.
It was an achievement for the province and head coach Leo Cullen that was acknowledged with the Club of the Year Award, recognising the historic double that was achieved with nail-biting victory over Racing 92 in the Champions Cup Final in Bilbao and then two weeks later when winning the Guinness Pro14 Final against Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium.
The Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year Award was collected for the second year in a row by Ireland flanker Claire Molloy.
The Cardiff-based Accident & Emergency doctor, who plays her club rugby with Wasps, captained Ireland team to Six Nations wins over Italy and Wales earlier this year and will be in Twickenham this weekend to face England.
“I’m truly honoured to receive the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year Award for the second year in a row,” Molloy said.
I’m very lucky to have great coaches and teammates that have helped my game develop over my career. It was a year of mixed results for the Irish team, in the Six Nations we had some great results at home, but we didn’t quite get the results we wanted on the road.
"We’re looking forward to another big Test next weekend in Twickenham.”
Lansdowne FC’s remarkable campaign, winning every senior competition they entered, saw the club honoured with the Tom Rooney Award for a significant contribution to Irish rugby.
Mike Ruddock’s team swept the board in the All-Ireland League, All-Ireland Cup, Leinster Senior League and Leinster Senior Cup.
There were also two inductees to the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Hall of Fame with Gerry ‘Ginger’ McLoughlin and John O’Driscoll last night’s honorees.
Guests at the awards ceremony and dinner were treated to a highlights reel which included the Shannon prop’s famous try at Twickenham in 1982 when he carried half the English pack over the line on the way to a first Triple Crown since 1949.
Back-rower O’Driscoll, McLoughlin’s fellow 1983 British & Irish Lions tourist to New Zealand, won 26 caps for Ireland and also toured with the Lions to South Africa in 1980.
The former Connacht forward also served as Lions selector on the 2001 tour to Australia.
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