All Blacks Score Big at Westpac Halberg Awards

Media Release

All Blacks Score Big at Westpac Halberg Awards

Auckland, 09 February 2012 - Rugby was the big winner at the 2011 Westpac Halberg Awards, with the World Cup winning All Blacks scoring three of the major Award categories, before capping it off by claiming the supreme Halberg Award.

Graham Henry began rugby’s walk of fame when he captured the SKY Sport Coach of the Year Award. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw was then acknowledged as the Westpac Sportsman of the Year, followed by the All Blacks taking home the Westpac Team of the Year Award. Much to the delight of the capacity audience at SKYCITY Convention Centre, the All Blacks were then saluted as the overall Halberg Award winners.

The All Blacks completed their clean sweep by winning New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment, sponsored by High Performance Sport New Zealand. This Award is the only category determined by public vote. The ‘Final Whistle from the All Blacks v France Rugby World Cup Final’ headed off the other favourite Sporting Moments, in a close contest.

It was the first time since 2003, when the Silver Ferns won the World Netball Championship, that a single sport had cleaned up to such an extent, and the first time since the 1987 All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, that rugby had claimed the supreme Halberg Award, widely acknowledged as this country’s most sought after sporting trophy.

It was rugby’s fifth Halberg Award success in the 60-year history of the award, the others being winger Ron Jarden (1951), fullback Don Clarke (1959) and legendary All Black captain Wilson Whineray (1965).

To win the supreme award the All Blacks headed off other Halberg Award contenders - Westpac Sportsman of the Year winner Richie McCaw, Westpac Sportswoman of the Year winner Valerie Adams and Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year winner, Sophie Pascoe.

Two-time Halberg Award winner, Sir John Walker and All Whites coach, Ricki Herbert announced the All Blacks as the big Halberg Award winners. The trophy was presented to the All Blacks by Sir Brian Lochore and David Kirk, coach and captain of the 1987 All Black team.

Several other sporting luminaries made personal tributes to Richie McCaw, coach Henry and the triumphant 2011 All Blacks, the only team to go through the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament unbeaten.

For McCaw, who carried a serious foot injury into the Rugby World Cup and finished the competition as the most capped All Black (103), his victory in the Westpac Sportsman of the Year category came ahead of fellow All Black Jerome Kaino, world single scull rowing champion Mahe Drysdale and double Olympic gold medal equestrian champion Mark Todd, who won the 3-day Badminton event last year.

In the race for Westpac Sportswoman of the Year honours, Valerie Adams, who went through the year unbeaten in all shotput competitions, won the title for a sixth time, ahead of K1 200m World Canoeing Champion, Lisa Carrington, World Champion-of-Champions bowls singles winner, Jo Edwards and triathlete, Andrea Hewitt, winner of 3 ITU events in 2011.

In the newly introduced Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year category, swimmer Sophie Pascoe won the award for winning two gold medals in world record time at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships.

Pascoe took the award ahead of fellow finalists Michael Johnson, winner of the 10m air rifle standing mixed SH2 title at the Para Shooting World Championships, cyclist Jane Parsons, winner of the 3km pursuit at the Para Cycling World Championships, and Daniel Sharp, 50m SB13 breaststroke champion at the International Blind Sport World Championships.

Henry, who was also voted the IRB ’Coach of the Year’ for 2011, completed a notable double by claiming the SKY Sport Coach of the Year category, heading off NZ Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, rowing coach Dick Tonks and women’s team pursuit cycling coach Dayle Cheatley.

The Westpac Emerging Talent award, for individual athletes aged under 21 who are yet to achieve international success at elite level, was won by 17-year-old shot put sensation Jacko Gill. The other finalists were Warriors league star Shaun Johnson, World Junior Laser Class yachting champion Sam Meech, and Byron Wells, 5th in the Halfpipe at the Freestyle World Senior Ski Championships. Gill also earned a $15,000 Westpac sporting scholarship.

The Eagles Golfing Society of New Zealand, who began their support of the Halberg Trust more than 40 years ago, presented the Trust with a cheque for $153,803 lifting their support for the Trust since 1969 to nearly $4million. This support, coupled with proceeds raised from the Westpac Halberg Awards, will assist the Halberg Trust’s year-round work to enhance the lives of disabled people by enabling them to participate in sport.

Three former Halberg Award winners, John Kirwan, one of the heroes of the 1987 World Cup winning All Black team, plus Philippa Baker and Brenda Lawson, world lightweight double scull rowing champions, were inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. They were presented with their awards by national sporting icons Dame Susan Devoy and Sir Brian Lochore.

The recipients of two other special awards, regular features at the dinner, were very warmly received. Former weightlifting champion and long-time NZ Olympic team selector, Bruce Cameron, was presented with the Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

However, probably the biggest applause went to 1960 Olympic 5,000m champion and Halberg Trust Founder, Sir Murray Halberg, when he was awarded the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award.

Voting for the 2011 Westpac Halberg Awards was carried out by an academy of 28 sporting journalists, coaches and former sporting greats. The 2011 finalists and winners are listed below:

2011 Halberg Award: Winner: World Cup All Blacks (rugby)
Richie McCaw (Westpac Sportsman of the Year) Valerie Adams (Westpac Sportswoman of the Year)
All Blacks (Westpac Sports Team of the Year) Sophie Pascoe (Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year)


Westpac New Zealand Sportsman of the Year: Winner: Richie McCaw (rugby)
Richie McCaw (rugby) Mahe Drysdale (rowing)
Jerome Kaino (rugby) Mark Todd (equestrian)

Westpac New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year: Winner: Valerie Adams (athletics)
Valerie Adams (athletics) Lisa Carrington (canoeing)
Jo Edwards (bowls) Andrea Hewitt (triathlon)

Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year Winner: Sophie Pascoe (para-swimming)
Michael Johnson (para-shooting) Sophie Pascoe (para-swimming)
Jayne Parsons (para-cycling) Daniel Sharp (para-swimming)

Westpac New Zealand Team of the Year: Winner: World CupAll Blacks (rugby)
All Blacks (rugby) Men’s Double Scull (rowing)
Women’s Pair (rowing) Men’s Pair (rowing)

SKY Sport Coach of the Year: Winner: Sir Graham Henry (rugby)
Sir Graham Henry (rugby) Dayle Cheatley (cycling)
Dick Tonks (rowing) Gordon Tietjens (rugby)
Westpac Emerging Talent Award: Winner: Jacko Gill (athletics)
Jacko Gill (athletics) Shaun Johnson (rugby league)
Sam Meech (yachting) Byron Wells (freestyle skiing)


New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment: All Blacks

NZ Breakers - Win Australian National Basketball League Championship; ANBL Final, North Shore, New Zealand
Valerie Adams - Dominates the field to win Gold; IAAF World Championships, Daegu, Korea
Men’s Pair - Hamish Bond and Eric Murray win Gold; World Rowing Championships, Bled, Slovenia
NZ Warriors - Lewis Brown’s try sends Warriors to NRL Grand Final; Warriors v Storm, NRL Preliminary Final, Melbourne, Australia
All Blacks - The final whistle; All Blacks v France, Rugby World Cup Final, Auckland, New Zealand
Blackcaps - Doug Bracewell bowls Nathan Lyon to win test match; Blackcaps v Australia, Hobart, Australia

Sports Hall of Fame Induction: John Kirwan (rugby), Philippa Baker and Brenda Lawson (rowing)
The Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award: Bruce Cameron (weight-lifting, NZ Olympic selector)
Sport New Zealand Leadership Award: Sir Murray Halberg

ENDS

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