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Irish star makes history at the World Rugby awards

BY Sarah Rendell  ·  Monday Nov 25, 2024

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Erin King became the first female Irish player to win an individual gong at the World Rugby awards by winning the breakthrough player of the year.

The forward was a part of the team who beat the Black Ferns in WXV 1 in September.

She beat out England’s Maddie Feaunati, Australia’s Caitlyn Halse and New Zealand’s Hannah King to the gong.

The Ireland star, who has also been prevalent in the sevens game, said: “I definitely wasn’t expecting that at all, didn’t even expect to be nominated. It feels surreal. I’m so lucky that I got to come into that team and obviously they set me up to succeed.

“Definitely [thanks to] my family through everything and my coaches Scott [Bemand] and TJ [Allan Temple-Jones, sevens head coach] for giving me the opportunity to play and progress and kind of believe in me. Scott for picking me and starting me.”

Elsewhere, the Player of the Year award went to England’s Ellie Kildunne.

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She was the Red Roses top scorer of 2024 and is the player who excites fans most when she receives the ball. The Red Roses won the Women’s Six Nations and WXV 1 in 2024.

Kildunne also played sevens rugby this year as she competed for Team GB at the Paris Olympics.

The women’s 15s try of the year went to France’s Marine Menager for her score against Canada in WXV.

And the dream women’s 15s team was: 15: Ellie Kildunne (England); 14. Abby Dow (England), 13. Slyvia Brunt (New Zealand), 12. Alex Tessier (Canada), 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (New Zealand); 10. Holly Aitchison (England), 9. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France); 1. Hope Rogers (USA), 2. Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand), 3. Maud Muir (England), 4. Zoe Aldcroft (England), 5. Laetitia Royer (Canada), 6. Aoife Wafer (Ireland), 7. Sophie de Goede (Canada), 8. Alex Matthews (England).
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