Steward and Wiese honoured by their fellow professionals
TIGERS DUO AND LIGHTNING STAR KABEYA AMONG RPA WINNERS
TIGERS NEWS
LEICESTER Tigers pair Freddie Steward and Jasper Wiese have been honoured at the Rugby Players’ Association awards dinner.
Steward has been named as England’s player of the year for a second successive season, while Springbok star Wiese has been named as the players’ player of the year. Towering fullback Steward, left, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign for his country in 2021/22 and was awarded the RPA accolade for the men’s player who shone the most with the red rose on his chest.
While England have endured a shaky time on the pitch during the 2022/23 season, Steward has remained a mainstay for both Eddie Jones and his former club boss Steve Borthwick following the Australian’s sacking at the end of 2022.
Steward started all four autumn internationals, scoring tries against Japan and New Zealand, and then wore 15 on his back for all of the Six Nations games which sadly ended with a red card away at Ireland, which was later rescinded.
The 22-year-old made the shortlist along with Tigers teammate Ollie Chessum, Northampton Saints captain Lewis Ludlam, and Bath centre Ollie Lawrence who picked up the Premiership’s player of the season last week.
“I did get a bit emotional,” Steward told The Times.
“To win an award like that is quite special. The campaign didn’t go as we wanted it to and all of those emotions just go off.
“It was disbelief really, to win it two years on the bounce.
“To get it from your teammates, it is the greatest compliment.
“They mean the most to you in that environment. They are your family while you are in there.
“To have that acknowledgement is incredible.
“I rang my mum and dad straight away and it took me a while to take it in.”
Since making his debut against the USA in the summer of 2021, Steward has amassed 22 senior caps for his country scoring seven tries.
Tigers’ number eight Jasper Wiese was named the players’ player of the year after producing another season notable for his prolific carrying.
The Springboks forward made 13 starts in the Premiership, scoring six tries, and made three appearances in the Heineken Champions Cup, crossing the line twice.
His statistics for the campaign also include an impressive 130 tackles, 11 offloads and 218 carries.
The 27-year-old beat rivals Mateo Carreras, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell and Tom Pearson for the award that was won last year by his Springboks team-mate Andre Esterhuizen.
“It’s very humbling to be named the winner of such a prestigious
and special award,” Wiese said.
“I’d like to thank the players from around the competition for voting for me and I just want to thank my Leicester team-mates for their support too.”
Tigers veteran Dan Cole picked up a Special Merit award after reaching 100 caps for England, while former Tigers captain Ed Slater was a joint winner of the RPA Blyth Spirit Award.
Pearson, the London Irish back row pushing hard for England honours, was named young player of the year as the Exiles finished a creditable fifth in the Premiership.
Loughborough Lightning flanker Sadia Kabeya, 21, won the England women’s player of the year award, and Gloucester scrum-half Natasha Hunt was the Premier 15s player of the year.