Four Irish players named in World Rugby Team of the Year

Four Irish players have been named in the World Rugby Team of the Year while South Africa’s Pieter-Steph Du Toit earned the top gong on the night.

Ireland was justly rewarded for their Six Nations-winning efforts, as Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park, and James Lowe all received the nod.

Doris was also nominated for the World Player of the Year award on the night, while no other Northern Hemisphere players were named to the team.

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South Africa predictably dominated the team, with seven players named after their Rugby Championship win earlier this year.

New Zealand had three players on the team, including fly-half Damian McKenzie while Argentina’s Pablo Matera was also selected.

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New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi was named Breakthrough Player of the Year, an award Ireland’s Jamie Osborne was nominated for. France’s Jerome Daret won Coach of the Year following their Olympic Sevens gold medal win.

Erin King became the first Irishwoman to win an individual award when she was chosen the women’s breakthrough player of the year at World Rugby’s awards.

King went to the Olympics, and made her 15s debut only in September, when the back-rower helped Ireland finish second in the WXV1 after a historic win over world champion New Zealand.

World Rugby men’s 15s dream team of the year: Will Jordan (New Zealand); Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Jesse Kriel (South Africa), Damian de Allende (South Africa), James Lowe (Ireland); Damian McKenzie (New Zealand), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); Ox Nche (South Africa), Malcolm Marx (South Africa), Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand), Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Pablo Matera (Argentina), Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa), Caelan Doris (Ireland).

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