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Rugby Canada held its annual Award Dinner at the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver on Friday evening. A total of 13 awards were handed out with seven inducted into the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame. The biggest winner of the evening was retiring Women’s XVs captain Kelly Russell, who scooped both the Senior Women’s Player of the Year award and the Gillian Florence Award as voted by her peers.
Ghislaine Landry was an obvious choice for Women’s Sevens Player of the Year while the Men’s honors went to Justin Douglas. Flanker Matt Heaton was rewarded for his outstanding season with the Senior Men’s Player of the Year award. The Young Players of the Year were Taylor Black and Cole Keith.
Match Official honors went to Alan Hudson, who acted as a Judicial Officer for the 2015 Rugby World Cup among numerous other international appointments during his more than 30 years behind the whistle. Taylor Paris took home the Canadian Shield award as voted by his teammates.
Hall of Fame inductees include two-time World Cup coach Ian Birtwell, dual-international Maria Gallo, former Rugby Canada president Monty Heald, internationals and distinguished coaches Ruth Hellerud-Brown and Spence MacTavish, former BCRU president and international Buzz Moore, and Canada’s first Senior Women’s captain Stephanie White.
Full descriptions of the award winners can be seen on the Rugby Canada website.
Senior Men’s Player of the Year — Matt Heaton
Men’s Sevens Player of the Year — Justin Douglas
Senior Women’s Player of the Year — Kelly Russell
Women’s Sevens Player of the Year — Ghislaine Landry
Young Female Player of the Year — Taylor Black
Young Male Player of the Year — Cole Keith
Match Official of the Year — Alan Hudson
Volunteer of the Year — Judy Seddon
Provincial Union of the Year — Nova Scotia Rugby Union
Coach of the Year Male — David McCully
Coach of the Year Female — Jo-Anne Robinson
Gillian Florence Award — Kelly Russell
Canadian Shield Award — Taylor Paris
