17 Dec 2010

Kieran Read wins rugby player of the year award

6:06 pm on 17 December 2010

The All Black number eight Kieran Read has been named the Kelvin R. Tremain Memorial rugby player of the year at the annual awards dinner where the women's World Cup winning Black Ferns were named Team of the Year.

Read pipped his Crusaders and All Blacks team-mates - this year's IRB Player of the Year, Richie McCaw, and dual international Brad Thorn.

He'd also been a finalist in the Super 14 Player of the Year award, which went to Blues and All Blacks halfback Alby Mathewson.

The Black Ferns won the team award after collecting their fourth successive IRB World Cup, ahead of the All Blacks, the world champion Under 20s, the New Zealand Maori and the Commonwealth Games champion sevens side.

The veteran Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens won the coaching award from a field which included the All Blacks' Graham Henry, the Under 20s' Dave Rennie, the New Zealand Māori coach Jamie Joseph and the Black Ferns' Brian Evans.