Ardie Savea has claimed the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year award — and he did it the hard way. The New Zealand loose forward picked up the sport’s most prestigious individual honour on Sunday, just 24 hours after watching the All Blacks lose a gut-wrenching Rugby World Cup final 12-11 to the Springboks.
World Rugby Player of the Year: Savea Beats Star-Studded Shortlist
Savea saw off serious competition to take the prize. Irish centre Bundee Aki, South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth, and two-time winner Antoine Dupont of France were all on the shortlist — and none of them would have been undeserving. But Savea’s relentless, barnstorming season made him impossible to overlook. He drove New Zealand to Rugby Championship glory and deep into the World Cup in France, and that counts for something even when the dream ending slips away.
He becomes the 11th All Black to win an award introduced back in 2001, having previously been a finalist in 2019. That’s a lineage that includes genuine legends of the game, something Savea acknowledged with typical humility. “I wouldn’t say I’m in the same category as those guys — they’re legends,” he said. “But I just try and go out there, fulfil the black jersey and give my best.”
For context on just how brutal that World Cup final defeat was for the All Blacks camp, Ian Foster’s post-match frustrations gave a clear picture of a squad that felt the occasion slipped away from them.
Full Honours List: Farrell and Tele’a Also Collect at World Rugby Awards
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell picked up World Rugby Coach of the Year — thoroughly earned after guiding Ireland to the top of the world rankings. All Blacks winger Mark Tele’a took the Breakthrough Player of the Year award, confirming New Zealand’s dominance of the night’s headlines despite their heartbreak on the Stade de France turf.
The full list of World Rugby Award winners also included Argentina’s Rodrigo Isgro (Men’s Sevens Player of the Year), New Zealand’s Tyla Nathan-Wong (Women’s Sevens Player of the Year), and Ireland’s David McHugh who claimed the Referee Award. South Africa’s John Smit received the International Rugby Players Special Merit Award, while Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland won Men’s Try of the Year.
Finally, the World Rugby Hall of Fame welcomed five giants of the game: Daniel Carter, Thierry Dusautoir, George Smith, Juan Martín Hernández, and Bryan Habana.
Savea summed it up best. “What this team has been through not only this year but the past couple of years has been very special. It wasn’t meant to be — but it’s a special group of men.” Hard to argue with any of that.
