Rugby:Leinster and Ireland backrow Seán O'Brien has been named Guinness/Rugby Writers of Ireland player of the year and received his award at a function in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin this evening. Lynne Cantwell was named womens player of the year after an outstanding season.
All Ireland League Champions, Old Belvedere were voted club of the year and Leinster picked up the Dave Guiney perpetual award as team of the year in recognition of their stunning Heineken Cup triumph.
The Tom Rooney award for an exceptional contribution to the sport went to Alan Lewis, whose refereeing record includes two World Cups and a record number of European Cup matches. The two new members inducted to the Guinness Hall of Fame were Lions, Ireland, Leinster and Old Belvedere outhalf Ollie Campbell and Lions and Ireland wing Mick Lane.
Peter O'Brien of Guinness and Brendan Fanning, chairman of the Rugby Writers of Ireland, jointly presented the awards.
SEÁN O'BRIEN - Player of the Year
In the 2010/ 11 season Sean OBrien started all of Leinsters nine Heineken Cup matches scoring four tries and picking up three man of the match awards along the way to overall success in Cardiff in May. OBrien also started all of the 2011 Six Nations matches, this time picking up the man of the match award against Italy. He earned his first cap for Ireland against Fiji in the RDS in 2009 with a second cap coming soon after against South Africa.
OLD BELVEDERE - RFC Club of the Year
OLD BELVEDERE was founded in 1930, and has made a huge contribution to Irish rugby since. They have contributed a long list of players to the test rugby. Before this year their proudest boast was winning seven Leinster Cups in a row in the forties, but this years achievement was up there with that amazing and unequalled run of victories. Having been demoted to the second division, they not only won their way back but went through this years All Ireland League to win the whole thing with an impressive victory over Cork Constitution in the final.
LEINSTER - Dave Guiney Perpertual Trophy
Leinster completed an extraordinary comeback when they stormed back from a 16-point halftime deficit against Northampton to win 33-22 and lift the Heineken Cup for the second time in three years. The Irish province reached the Magners League Grand Final in Thomond Park against league toppers Munster, after finishing second in the league format and beating Ulster in the semi-finals, only to lose 19-9 to theur hosts.
ALAN LEWIS - Tom Rooney Award (for services to rugby)
Alan Lewis has announced his intention to retire from refereeing at the end of this season. With 45 major international Test matches to his credit, including a Rugby World Cup quarter-final and games across the RBS 6 Nations Championship and Tri Nations, Lewis is one of the longest serving IRFU international referees.
Alan Lewis also holds the record for matches in European competition with an incredible 83 matches, 71 of which were Heineken Cup games including three semi-finals and the Heineken Cup final in 2007.
GUINNESS HALL OF FAME
MICK LANE
Mick Lane was a member of the great Irish side of the late forties and early fifties, missing out on the 1948 Grand Slam through injury but he was on the team that took the Triple Crown in 1949, and the side that narrowly missed another Grand Slam in 1951. In all he won 17 caps between 1946 and 1953 and was picked for the Lions Tour in 1950, and was capped against both New Zealand and Australia.
OLLIE CAMPBELL
Ollie Campbell was first capped in 1976 and had to wait until 1979 to be capped again, this time controversially against Australia in Australia where he was preferred to the incumbent, Tony Ward. Campbell more than justified his selection by kicking Ireland to a series win. Ollie then became a fixture on the Irish side although the selectors tried to accommodate both himself and Tony Ward, but it was Campbell who wore the number ten shirt as he played a major part in the acquisition of Ireland's first Triple Crown since 1949 in the 1982 season. He had a hand in most of the significant and memorable moments of that campaign, including scoring all of Ireland's points against Scotland.
A staunch member of Old Belvedere he was captain of that club from 1979 to 1981. He won 22 caps for Ireland and another six for the Lions, and was a huge contributor to the fabric of the Irish Rugby even after he had retired from playing.
LYNNE CANTWELL - Womens Player of the Year
Lynne Cantwell only took up rugby late in life when she went to University of Limerick to study sports science. Her influence on the Irish women's rugby scene has been remarkable, helping to transform the national side into a highly competitive unit and becoming Ireland's most capped player. She lives in London now, where she is active with the Wooden Spoon Charity 7s, who travel all over Britain.
