New Zealand’s brilliant try in their second Test win over France in June last year has been named the International Rugby Player’s Association (IRPA) Try of the Year for 2013. Tryscorer Beauden Barrett becomes the first New Zealander to win the award.
The panel of judges comprised of Andrew Mehrtens, Tony Diprose, Paul Wallace and Thinus Delport. They chose Barrett’s try from the shortlist of nominations, which included great tries by Ben Smith, Stuart Hogg, Jean De Villiers and Zane Kirchner.
“It was a great feeling to deliver this try for the team,” said Barrett upon receiving the award.
“Like all tries, the ground work is done on the training field and by your team mates, and the buzz when any of the guys manages to dot down is why we play for each other. I am glad that others enjoyed watching it all unfold,” added the 22-year-old.
The award capped off an amazing 2013 for the All Blacks, which included 14 wins out of 14 matches, and the Coach and Player of the Year awards, to name a few.
“With so many great international tries during 2013, involving both individual brilliance and collective effort, it is never an easy process to settle on one try,” said Mehrtens. “However, when it came down to it, Barrett’s try stood out for the judges due to the high level of skills involved by different players, and, most importantly, the teamwork required to make it happen.”
Previous winners:
2012 – Bryan Habana (South Africa) – South Africa v New Zealand
2011 – Radike Samo (Australia) – Australia v New Zealand
2010 – Chris Ashton (England) – England v Australia
2009 – Jaque Fourie (South Africa) – South Africa v British & Irish Lions
2008 – Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) – Australia v Ireland
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