OBU scoop four on historic awards night

Old Boys University have dominated the inaugural Wellington Community Rugby Awards scooping the team and coach of the year awards during an historic night at Te Papa.

OBU's all-conquering Jubilee Cup winning men's premier team walked away with the coveted Team of the Year Award on a night that saw the club win four major prizes.

Up against a quality field including the unbeaten Oriental-Rongotai women's team, OBU's premiers were simply without peer in 2017 after winning the Swindale Shield, Bill Brien Challenge Trophy, and Andy Leslie Trophy.

OBU premier coach Jamie Williams took out the Club Coach of the Year award, the club was awarded the Dewar Shield for aggregate competition points across all grades, and the Colts side capped things off by winning the Griffiths Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship.

However, the first annual Community Awards was about far more than one club and will go down in the union's history after Oriental-Rongotai wing Ayesha Leti'Iiga became the first recipient of the Wellington Women's Club Player of the Year Award.

Leti'Iga was simply unstoppable on the wing for the Ories women as she terrorised defences with her speed, skill and uncanny ability to find the try line as she helped her side to the Victoria Tavern Trophy including a hattrick in the final against Old Boys University.

Likewise Tawa prop Ben Aumua-Peseta (Tawa) was crowned the first Les Mills Wellington Age Grade Player of the Year as Wellington Rugby recognised the importance of young players coming out of secondary school into the club system.

On a night of firsts it was a special night for Mike Dilnott, who was awarded the newly created Lifetime Contribution to Wellington Rugby Salver.

Dilnott has made an immense contribution since arriving in the province as a young referee in 1982 and immediately becoming an active member of the Wellington Rugby Referees' Association.

He has held a range of posts within the association and been on the executive since 1995, providing tireless service to the current day. In more recent times he has been a popular and excellent liaison officer for a range of visiting local and international teams to Wellington.

Poneke Football Club also created a slice of history as the first winners off the Club Community Award, in association with the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc.

The award reflects the contribution of clubs to the community in which they operate and Poneke's work in setting up the Toitu Hub in their Kilbirnie clubrooms was recognised for playing a major role in promoting positive community engagement in the Eastern Suburbs.

The facility and service created at Toitu will serve both rugby and the wider community for generations to come.

On the opposite side of town, Western Suburbs junior club took home the highly valued Burger King Positive Sidelines Award as judged by opposition teams based on the conduct of players and supporters.

In other awards, Tawa's Hemi Fermanis shared the and Wainuiomata loose forward Ben Tupuola were awarded the Billy Wallace Trophy as judged by The Dominion Post's rugby writers who awarded players points on a 3,2,1 basis throughout the Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup competitions.

Old Boy University's Georgia Daals was named Wellington Women's 7s Player the Year, while Upper Hutt's Hayden Schrijvers scooped the equivalent men's award. 

The full list of winners at the 2017 Wellington Community Rugby Awards were: