Leinster’s Ian Madigan scooped the Rhino Golden Boot Award at the Guinness PRO12 Awards in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin on Sunday.
Madigan won with 87.04% kick success (47 kicks out of 54), beating Ospreys’ Dan Biggar who finished a close second with 86.96% (60 kicks out of 69).
Madigan featured in 14 PRO12 games for Leinster this season, scoring four tries, kicking 24 conversions, 23 penalties and one drop goal for a total of 140 points.
He was also instrumental in Leinster’s drive to the semi-final of the European Champions Cup, kicking the province to wins over Castres Olympique and Bath, scoring 113 points in total and finishing as the tournament’s top scorer.
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Rhys Webb (Ospreys) won the Players’ Player of the Season Award and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh) the Young Player of the Season Award at the Guinness PRO12 Awards evening.
Rhys Webb had already been named in the Guinness PRO12 Dream Team for the season last week and scooped the Players’ Player of the Season award in absentia for his outstanding contribution to the Ospreys season. Rhys returned home to his new baby boy Jesse, born last Friday, after yesterday’s win at Connacht.
Voted for by the 12 Guinness PRO12 Club captains and vice-captains, the Ospreys scrum half beat Craig Gilroy and CJ Stander to the title in an incredibly tight vote. Rhys Webb follows in the footsteps of Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Ruan Piennar (Ulster Rugby), Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Nick Williams (Ulster Rugby) and Rhys’ half-back partner Dan Biggar (Ospreys) in picking up the prestigious award.
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne picked up the Young Player of the Season title after not only breaking into and starting in the Edinburgh side, but also into the Scottish national team.
He follows in the footsteps of Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Luke Marshall (Ulster Rugby) and Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) as the Young Player of the Season.
Gregor Townsend (Glasgow Warriors) won the Coach of the Season award after steering Glasgow into 1st place in the league.
Glasgow Warriors’ captain Alastair Kellock received the Chairman’s Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the development of Glasgow and Scottish rugby, his performances and service to his country, the tournament as a whole and the game of rugby union.
Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby) won the Sky Sports Try of the Year, polling over 60% of the public vote,
with his great score against Scarlets. Munster’s Jack O’Donoghue was runner up with his excellent try
versus Cardiff Blues.
Glasgow Warriors also took home another award as they took over from Ospreys as winners of the Rhino Collision Kings title after a panel of experts assessed their efficiency at the breakdown and tackling,
It was a good night for Connacht, as they won a £10,000 cheque to put towards youth development after claiming the SpecSavers Fair Play Award for having the fewest yellow and red cards and citings over the 22 games.
The GUINNESS PRO12 Dream Team 2014/15, selected by an independent Media Panel, chaired by Rory Sheridan, Head of Sponsorship – Western Europe, Diageo :
15 – Liam Williams (Scarlets), 14 – Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), 13 – Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), 12 – Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), 11 – Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby), 10 – Dan Biggar (Ospreys), 9 – Rhys Webb (Ospreys), 1 – Denis Buckley (Connacht), 2 – Rory Best (Ulster Rugby), 3 – WP Nel (Edinburgh), 4 – Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys) CAPTAIN, 5 – Franco van der Merwe (Ulster), 6 – C J Stander (Munster), 7 – Tommy O’Donnell (Munster), 8 – Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors)
GUINNESS PRO12 AWARD WINNERS 2014/15
PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE SEASON – Rhys Webb (Ospreys)
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON – Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh)
COACH OF THE SEASON – Gregor Townsend (Glasgow Warriors)
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD – Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors)
SKY SPORTS TRY OF THE SEASON – Craig Gilroy (Ulster Rugby)
RHINO GOLDEN BOOT – Ian Madigan (Leinster)
RHINO COLLISION KINGS – Glasgow Warriors
SPECSAVERS FAIRPLAY AWARD – Connacht
