Bundee Aki and Nichola Fryday have been named among the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Players of The Year.
Connacht Centre and Ireland star, Aki had an incredible year with the Ireland Squad at the Six Nations and World Cup in the past year.
He received frequent accolades during the Grand Slam Six Nations victory and was a star player for Ireland during the World Cup effort.
Nominated for World Player of the Year, Aki has also made great contributions for Connacht in the league and on the European stage.
He has been named the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Men’s Player of the Year for last season, and said that it was an honour to receive this accolade.
“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,” Bundee added.
Recently retired from International Rugby, Nichola Fryday was a strong leader for the Ireland women’s team across her 34 appearances in green.
Named International captain in 2022, the Connacht player has enjoyed success through her club career with Exeter Chiefs with whom she reached the Premier XVs final last season.
“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.”
Rúaidhrí O’Connor, Chair of the Rugby Writers of Ireland congratulated all of this year’s award winners.
“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.”
