PHIL WAUGH MEDAL TO BE AWARDED TO MAN OF MATCH IN BUILDCORP NRC GRAND FINAL

Oct 21 • General News, International • 1481 Views • Comments Off on PHIL WAUGH MEDAL TO BE AWARDED TO MAN OF MATCH IN BUILDCORP NRC GRAND FINAL

Australian Rugby Union announced today a new annual medal which will be awarded to the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship Man of the Match, named after one of the game’s fiercest competitors.

The Phil Waugh Medal, named after the 79-Test Wallaby and former NSW Waratahs captain, will be awarded to the player deemed the most outstanding performer each year in the Buildcorp NRC decider, beginning with Saturday’s clash between NSW Country Eagles and Perth Spirit in Tamworth.

The former openside flanker, who played 136 Super Rugby matches for the NSW Waratahs and captained the Wallabies on three occasions in his 10-year Test career, will also form part of the judging panel to determine the Man of the Match alongside a member of the ARU executive team and FOX SPORTS commentary team.

Waugh was on hand at today’s Buildcorp NRC Grand Final captains’ call with NSW Country Eagles captain Paddy Ryan and Perth Spirit captain Heath Tessman, and will hand the medal over to the inaugural winner in person at Saturday’s decider at Scully Park, Tamworth.

Principal sponsors, Buildcorp, have also thrown their support behind the award. Buildcorp will present $1,000 to the 2016 winner of the Phil Waugh Medal.

Phil Waugh said: “I’m honoured to have this medal named after me. The National Rugby Championship is showcasing some amazing rugby talent in this country, and this year we’ve seen it step up another level. The fitness and skill level of these players is creating some really exciting rugby, and I’m looking forward to watching the final.

“Players who can embrace the pressure of a Grand Final and use it to propel them to greater heights deserve to be recognised, and this medal is a fantastic way to do this. The NSW Country Eagles and Perth Spirit both have some very talented players, and I’m looking forward to seeing who stands out on Saturday to be granted the Man of the Match title.”

Tamworth-born NSW Country Eagles captain Paddy Ryan said: “We know Tamworth puts on a good show and the town is really fired up. I spent the last twenty-four hours up there to visit a few schools and do a bit of media and everyone’s pretty excited. I think it’s going to be a great night of rugby. It’s great to see such an important event in the rugby calendar go back to the bush, since country rugby is such a big stakeholder in NSW and Australian rugby.

“Mum’s been cooking all week, we’ve got a feed on tonight at home so that’ll be great. You don’t change your routine in grand final week. Last time we were up there Mum put on a feed and we won by two points against the Rising so this week we’ll look to do something similar.”

The Buildcorp NRC Grand Final kicks off at 7.40pm AEDT, at Scully Park in Tamworth where the NSW Country Eagles will host their first ever home Grand Final, led by born and bred Tamworth boy, Paddy Ryan. The Perth Spirit, who ended the regular season in third position, have hit peak form at right time of the season after an upset semi-final victory over the Sydney Rays last weekend. A star of the 2016 season for Perth Spirit, Jono Lance, will also be boosted by the support of his wider family, most of whom come from the Tamworth region.

FOX SPORTS Channel 502 will broadcast the Grand Final from 7.40pm AEDT, immediately following the coverage of the Qantas Wallabies Bledisloe Cup match