Ireland sweep the 2018 World Rugby Awards, Israel Adesanya announces his next fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva and the Auckland Tuatara get the job done against Brisbane
The Six Nations champions have scooped team of the year, coach of the year and player of the year at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco. They are the first team not from New Zealand to win the award since 2009.
Ireland'snumber Johnny Sexton denied All Blacks opposite Beauden Barrett from winning player of the year for a third straight year. It is the first time Sexton has won the award and he's the second Irish played to claim the gong since Keith Wood.
Ireland's Joe Schmid also beat All Blacks coach Steve Hansen for the coach of the year award. Hansen is a four-time winner of the coach of the year award but it's the second year in a row he hasn't taken out the award after losing to Eddie Jones last year. South Africa's Rassie Erasmus was also nominated for the award.
Frenchwoman Jessy Tremouliere won female player of the year, which Black Ferns great Fiao'o Faamausili was one of the nominees.
The only award the All Blacks won was try of the year which went to lock Brodie Retallick for his dummy and 30 metre effort against the Wallabies at Eden Park.
Black Ferns Sevens star Michaela Blyde was among the early winners.
Blyde scored 37 tries across the five World Series rounds, as well as dotting down nine times in the World Cup win in San Francisco and winning Commonwealth Games gold.
She was nominated alongside Portia Woodman and her captain Sarah Goss in the award for best female sevens player. She dedicated the award to Goss.
All Blacks prop Karl Tu'inukuafe was been pipped for Breakthrough player of the year by South African wing Aphiwe Dyantyi.
Former men's sevens skipper DJ Forbes received a Special Merit Award alongside ex-Wallabies captain Stephen Moore.
Winners: World Rugby Men's Player of the Year – Winner - Johnny Sexton (Ireland). World Rugby Women's Player of the Year – Winner - Jessy Tremouliere (France). World Rugby Team of the Year – Winner - Ireland World Rugby Coach of the Year – Winner - Joe Schmidt (Ireland) World Rugby Referee Award – Winner - Angus Gardner Try of the Year – Winner - Brodie Retallick (All Blacks) World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year - Winner - Aphiwe Dyantyi (South Africa) World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year - Winner - Perry Baker (USA) World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year - Winner - Michaela Blyde (Black Ferns Sevens) IRPA Special Merit Award – Winners: DJ Forbes (NZ), Stephen Moore (Australia) Spirit of Rugby Award - Winner - Jamie Armstrong Award for Character - Winner - Doddie Weir - Former Scotland international Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – Winner - Yoshirō Mori - President of the Japan Rugby Union.
Relive all the action from the 2018 World Rugby Awards in Monte Carlo below.
