WOMEN’S SEVENS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

SARAH HIRINI. Is there a better leader in New Zealand Rugby at the moment? She is calm and clear, formidable on the field, friendly off it and with a steel in her eyes when it’s needed. As a player she is at the peak of her game. Rewatch some of the big moments at the Olympics and Hirini is in the thick of them; extra time in the semi-final in Fiji perhaps the most telling. It’s rare to see her commit an error and so often her split-second decision-making changes a game.

Hugely respected among team-mates and opponents alike, Hirini’s stature is growing to levels of some of the greats.