The Black Ferns Sevens. Photo / Photosport
All the action from the 2018 New Zealand Rugby Awards.
And that concludes our coverage of this year's awards. Thanks for joining us, good night.
10.38pm: It's the Black Ferns Sevens!
They've done what only Ireland and the Springboks (and almost England) could this season - they've beaten the All Blacks!
10.32pm: The last award of the night. It's the New Zealand Team of the Year - and it's the All Blacks, All Blacks Sevens or the Black Ferns Sevens.
10.26pm: The penultimate award of the evening, the National Team of the Year is awarded to...
The Crusaders - beating Auckland and Thames Valley.
10.18pm: History! Kendra Cocksedge has won the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year - the first woman to do so! She beats out Brodie Retallick, Richie Mo'unga and Codie Taylor for the top gang - smashing the glass ceiling.
10.14pm: The New Zealand Rugby Women's Player of the Year is... Kendra Cocksedge! A second award of the night for Cocksedge, who of course is also up for the main honour as Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year, which is up next.
10.05pm: And it had to be - the Women's World Sevens Player of the Year is now also the Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year - it's Michaela Blyde.
10.00pm: And the winner is - Scott Curry. Who will join him on stage as the Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year? Michaela Blyde, Kelly Brazier and Sarah Goss are the nominees.
9.56pm: Up next is the Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year. Regan Ware, Vilimoni Koroi and Scott Curry are the nominees.
9.53pm: This year's Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year award goes to...
Codie Taylor (Ngāti Raukawa / Muaupoko). He wins over Sarah Goss (Ngati Kahungunu) and Rieko Ioane (Ngāpuhi / Te Whānau ā Apanui).
9.48pm: The Super Rugby Player of the Year is...
Mo'unga!
9.44pm: Next, the finalists for Super Rugby Player of the Year are the Chiefs' Solomon Alaimalo, and Richie Mo'unga and Matt Todd from the Crusaders.
9.39pm: Now for the New Zealand Coach of the Year. The nominees are Clark Laidlaw, Allan Bunting, Steve Hansen. And the winner is...
Laidlaw, coach of the Commonwealth Games gold medallist sevens team.
9.36pm: And the winner is...
Alama Ieremia. The former All Black managed to prevent Canterbury from a 10th Mitre 10 title in 11 years - with a thrilling extra-time victory in the final. And that in his first season with Auckland.
9.22pm: We're not far away from the next award - the National Coach of the Year, with Scott Robertson, Alama Ieremia, and Kieran Kite the finalists.
👏🏽 Congratulations to all the winners so far at the #ASBRugbyAwards! Tune into @skysportnz to see who scoops the rest of the awards including the Team of the Year and Player of the Year prizes. pic.twitter.com/m7gN9oigZT
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) December 13, 2018
While the finalists and other guests tuck into their Thai chicken curry, let's recap the winners so far tonight:
Fan's Try of the Year: Chris Hala'ufia (St Peter's College)
Referee of the Year: Glen Jackson
Volunteer of the Year: Irene Eruera-Taiapa
Age Grade Player of the Year: Tom Christie (Canterbury)
Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Player of the Year: Brett Ranga (Thames Valley)
Duane Monkley Medal: Luke Romano (Canterbury)
Fiao'o Faamausili Medal: Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury)
8.37pm: And the Coach of the Year...
...will only be revealed after the dinner break.
The National Coach of the Year award will go to Scott Robertson, for a second consecutive Super Rugby title, Alama Ieremia for his remarkable work with Auckland, or Canterbury FPC's Kieran Kite.
8.31pm: The women's turn. This year's Fiao'o Faamausili Medal is awarded to...
Kendra Cocksedge. She's been nominated in three categories tonight. This is her first win, seeing off competition from Krysten Cottrell and Jackie Patea-Fereti.
8.27pm: Duane Monkley Medal time now, and the winner is...
Canterbury's Luke Romano! TJ Faiane (Auckland) and Fletcher Smith (Waikato) the other nominees.
8.20pm: The Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Player of the Year gong goes to...
Thames Valley's Brett Ranga. Craig Clare (Wanganui), and Willie Wright (South Canterbury) were the other finalists.
8.15pm: Up next, the New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year
And Tom Christie gets the W over Sam Darry, Risaleaana Pouri-Lane, and Kaleb Trask.
7.55pm: The Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year, is...
Irene Eruera-Taiapa - after Steve Webling and Kim Wheeler, uhm... offered some strong competition.
7.49pm: Referee of the Year is next, and it goes to...
Glen Jackson. Again. Richard Kelly and Rebecca Mahoney were the other contenders.
7.42pm: And the award for Fan's Try of the Year goes to...
St Peter's College's Chris Hala'ufia, beating out Black Fern Kelly Brazier and All Black Richie Mo'unga.
7.23pm: Any minute now...
We're now only minutes away from the start of the awards. I'm told the Fan's Try of the Year is the first category up.
🤩 The stars have arrived on the red carpet and the #ASBRugbyAwards are about to begin!
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) December 13, 2018
📺 Watch live on @skysportnz from 7.30pm NZT. pic.twitter.com/rwTuCd4I39
7.05pm: Hansen stays mum
Steve Hansen walked down the red carpet, but dodged the media ahead of his big announcement - we will know tomorrow whether he is staying on as All Blacks head coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
6.43pm: Taking it upstairs
That's about the last of the arrivals, as everyone now heads upstairs.
6.34pm: Not all about rugby...
Canoeing star Lisa Carrington is among the local stars invited to the awards. She seems as popular with the other attendees as she was with the Glen Eden intermediate students.
6.30pm: Red carpet rush
It seems the players might have arranged to arrive at the same time. Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock, Kendra Cocksedge, Brodie Retallick, and Richie Mo'unga make their way along the red carpet within minutes of each other.
6.25pm: The man of the moment
Sir Michael Jones is among the stars in attendance this evening, looking cool as ice in a classic black suit.
While the likes of Steve Tew and Ian Foster make their way in quickly, stopping for photos on the red carpet along the way, Steve Hansen stops at the beginning of the long line of youngsters asking for a moment of his time.
Of course he obliges, slowly making his way along and other attendees sneak along behind him.
6.18pm: Welcome, Charlotte Rose McCaw
Two stars who won't be at tonight's awards are Richie and Gemma McCaw.
They've just announced the arival of their baby, Charlotte Rose.
6pm: Stars arrive
A contingent of around 30 students from Glen Eden Intermediate line the entrance of the Sky City conventions centre awaiting the arrival of their rugby heroes.
While they wait for the players to arrive, the group tries to get high fives from anyone and everyone who walks past. Loud boos echoing through the corridor identify those unwilling to oblige.
5.45pm: Here are the nominees for all the big awards
• Fans' Try of the Year: Kelly Brazier (Black Ferns Sevens), Chris Hala'ufia (St Peter's College), Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders)
• New Zealand Rugby Referee of the Year: Glen Jackson (Bay of Plenty), Richard Kelly (Taranaki), Rebecca Mahoney (Wairarapa Bush)
• Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year: Irene Eruera-Taiapa (Horowhenua Kapiti), Steve Webling (Taranaki), Kim Wheeler (King Country)
• New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year: Sam Darry (Canterbury), Tom Christie (Canterbury), Risaleaana Pouri-Lane (Tasman), Kaleb Trask (Bay of Plenty)
• Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Player of the Year: Craig Clare (Wanganui), Brett Ranga (Thames Valley), Willie Wright (South Canterbury)
• Duane Monkley Medal: TJ Faiane (Auckland), Luke Romano (Canterbury), Fletcher Smith (Waikato)
• Fiao'o Faamausili Medal: Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury), Krysten Cottrell (Hawke's Bay), Jackie Patea-Fereti (Wellington)
• National Coach of the Year: Alama Ieremia (Auckland), Kieran Kite (Canterbury women), Scott Robertson (Crusaders)
• New Zealand Coach of the Year: Allan Bunting (Black Ferns Sevens), Steve Hansen (All Blacks), Clark Laidlaw (All Blacks Sevens)
• Super Rugby Player of the Year: Solomon Alaimalo (Chiefs), Richie Mo'unga (Crusaders), Matt Todd (Crusaders)
• Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year: Sarah Goss (Ngāti Kahungunu), Rieko Ioane (Ngāpuhi / Te Whānau ā Apanui), Codie Taylor (Ngāti Raukawa/Muaūpoko)
• Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year:• Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty), Vilimoni Koroi (Otago), Regan Ware (Bay of Plenty)
• Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year: Michaela Blyde (Bay of Plenty), Kelly Brazier (Bay of Plenty), Sarah Goss (Manawatu)
• New Zealand Rugby Women's Player of the Year: Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury), Aroha Savage (Counties Manukau), Selica Winiata (Manawatu)
• Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year: Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury), Richie Mo'unga (Canterbury), Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay), Codie Taylor (Canterbury)
• National Team of the Year: Auckland, Crusaders, Thames Valley
• New Zealand Team of the Year: All Blacks, All Blacks Sevens, Black Ferns Sevens
5.30pm:
Kia ora, and welcome to the 2018 New Zealand Rugby Awards.
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