The Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland have named their Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year for 2023. The prestigious awards have been presented to Connacht centre Bundee Aki, and former Ireland Women’s Captain Nichola Fryday.
Aki has without a doubt been amongst Ireland’s top performers this year, and was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award for his efforts. An outstanding contributor to Andy Farrell’s side, Aki was pivotal to Ireland’s first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2018, and took his nation to achieve their longest ever run of victories with a 17-match winning steak.
The Connacht man was one of the leading performers throughout the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and was the first name on many ‘Teams of the Tournament’ in the eyes of pundits and fans alike. Aki did not miss a single minute of action in France, and contributed five tries to Ireland’s World Cup campaign, including a score in their quarter-final elimination to the All Blacks.
Aki was proud to receive the accolade; “It is an honour to have been voted the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Men’s Player of the Year for last season. All of my teammates at Connacht and Ireland are deserving of recognition for their commitment and contribution to the game and I would not be picking up this award without their support. The journey of Irish Rugby is an exciting one and I look forward to the season ahead.”
Nichola Fryday was bestowed the award for her contributions to Irish Women’s Rugby, following her retirement from the sport last year. A former star of the Exeter Chiefs in Premiership Women’s Rugby, Fryday is also a former Connacht star, having previously packed down the scrum at lock for the Irish province.
Fryday took up the mantle of Ireland Women’s captain for the 2023 Women’s Six Nations, as she took the armband from Ciara Griffin following her retirement. The lock then called time on her own international career in July 2023, following a challenging final season with the Ireland women’s team.
Nichola Fryday was honoured to receive her award; “It is a huge privilege to be named the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year. It has been a bitter-sweet season but a journey I am grateful to have been part of for the last 7 years. I feel very proud to have captained a very special group of players with Ireland who epitomised resilience, dedication and commitment to the jersey. I would also like to thank the many people throughout my International career who supported me and made the journey a memorable one.”
The Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland also named their Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year for the Ireland Sevens team. Ireland Men’s Sevens captain Harry McNulty took home the award, after achieving his 50th cap for the country, and being nominated for the second consecutive year. McNulty led Ireland to secure their monumental qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and achieved a Bronze medal in the Rugby World Cup Sevens to boot.
The Women’s Sevens Player of the Year Award was presented to Lucy Mulhall, after her run as captain for the Ireland Women’s Sevens team extended to ten consecutive seasons. Mulhall helped Ireland achieve another key milestone in their ongoing rugby sevens progression, as the Women’s side achieved Olympic qualification for the first time in their history.
Rúaidhrí O’Connor, Chair of the Rugby Writers of Ireland added; “As Chair of the Rugby Writers of Ireland, I would like to congratulate all of our award winners who have been nominated and voted for our members. The 2022/23 season was a remarkable year for Irish Rugby, with the Men’s team claiming a historic first home Grand Slam victory in March and providing a series of magic moments at the World Cup in France, to the introduction of professional contracts for Ireland’s Women’s squads for the first time in history.
“We have also seen Ireland’s men’s and women’s Sevens teams continue to shine on the world stage with the Olympic Games in Paris around the corner, while the provinces continue to set the standard and the club game thrives. My special thanks to Guinness for their continued sponsorship of these awards, which has spanned over two decades.”
ADDITIONAL WINNERS: 2023 GUINNESS RUGBY WRITERS OF IRELAND AWARDS
Club of the Year – Clogher Valley RFC
Tom Rooney Award – Alex Soroka (fundraising for the Ukrainian effort)
Team of the Year – Ireland Men’s Team
Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Hall of Fame Inductees: Lynne Cantwell and David Humphreys,