All Blacks' Wallace Sititi caps stellar year with World Rugby award

Springboks flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit has been named World Rugby's men's player of the year for a second time, with England fullback Ellie Kildunne taking out the women's award at a ceremony in Monaco.

Du Toit also won the award in 2019.

He joins All Blacks Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Beauden Barrett as the only players to have won the award more than once. McCaw and Carter have each won the award three times.

No New Zealanders were shortlisted for either top award, though the All Blacks loose forward Wallace Sititi won men's breakthrough player of the year.

Three All Blacks, prop Tyrel Lomax, first five Damian McKenzie and fullback Will Jordan were named in the men's 15s team of the year with three Black Ferns players, hooker Georgia Ponsonby, midfielder Sylvia Brunt and winger Katelyn Vaha'akolo making the women's 15s team of the year.

Black Ferns Sevens Paris Olympic gold medallists Michaela Blyde and Jorja Miller missed out on women's sevens player of the year award to Australia's Maddison Levi, though the two New Zealanders were named in the women's sevens team of the year.

It is a case of third time lucky for Levi after her nominations in 2022 and 2023. The Australian set a new record for most tries in a single Olympic Games (14) after scoring 69 tries on the World Series circuit in 2024, the second-highest figure in men's or women's series history. The prolific finisher becomes the third Australian recipient after Emilee Cherry and Charlotte Caslick.

France's Antoine Dupont won men's sevens player of the year, becoming the first player to win both the sevens and 15s player of the year awards in a career.

Dupont, who won the 15s player of the year award in 2021, led the French men's sevens team to Paris Olympic gold this year.

No All Blacks Sevens players were shortlisted for men's sevens player of the year and no New Zealanders were included in the men's sevens team of the year.

Dupont's sevens head coach Jérôme Daret was named coach of the year, recognising his efforts in ending a 19-year wait for World Series Cup title and steering France to Olympic gold in July. Daret is the first sevens coach to receive this award.

During the event five legends of the game were inducted in the World Rugby Hall of Fame including New Zealanders DJ Forbes and Chris Laidlaw.

Laidlaw is a former All Blacks halfback while Forbes was a long serving captain of the All Blacks Sevens.

The others inducted were Australian sevens player Emilee Cherry, Scotland's Donna Kennedy and former Italian captain Sergio Parisse.