The Rugby Australia Awards are set to be held on Thursday, celebrating a huge year in Australian rugby.
The event will not be broadcast, with Rugby.com.au set to live blog rugby's night of nights in Sydney.
Follow all the action from the 2026 Rugby Australia Awards at Rugby.com.au
The John Eales Medal, Wallaroos Player of the Year and Shaun Mackay Awards for best sevens players will headline the event, with junior players, rookies of the year and best performers in Super Rugby all set to be recognised.
Check out all the details for this year's Rugby Australia Awards below.
The Community Awards recognises all the incredible contributors to the great game of Rugby.
It aims to celebrate Rugby at all stages, especially at the grassroots level.
These awards include the Andrew Cole Community Match Official of the Year, Joe French Award for Outstanding Contribution to Rugby, and the Geoff ‘Bunter’ Shaw Community Coach of the Year Award.
The following awards will also be presented, recognising the best Australian defenders and officiators in 2026:
Wallabies: Fraser McReight v France
Wallaroos: Nicole Ledington v Fiji
Sevens Men’s: Jayden Blake v NZ, New York
Sevens Women’s: Maddison Levi v NZ, Valladolid Final
Angus Gardner
Ella Goldsmith
Nic Berry
Reuben Keane
The Super Rugby Player of the Year is awarded to the standout player from the 2026 Super Rugby season from the Australian clubs.
After Carlo Tizzano became the first player from the Western Force to win the award last year, this year will see only one previous winner up for contention in 2022 winner Rob Valetini.
All other Super Rugby sides will be represented, with the potential for a new player to claim the award in Jeremy Williams (Western Force) , Jock Campbell (Queensland Reds) and Max Jorgensen (NSW Waratahs).
2025: Carlo Tizzano (Force)
2024: Fraser McReight (Reds)
2023: Fraser McReight (Reds)
2022: Rob Valetini (Brumbies)
2021: James O'Connor (Reds)
2019: Samu Kerevi (Reds)
2018: Taniela Tupou (Reds)
2017: Amanaki Mafi (Rebels)
The Super Rugby Women's Player of Year looks at the best player during the 2026 Super Rugby Women's competition from the Australian clubs.
Wallaroo and ACT Brumbies captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona will look to become the first player to win multiple awards in this category, however she have stiff competition in breakout Reds star Jemma Bemrose, and most capped Wallaroo Michaela Leonard (Western Force).
2025: Georgina Friedrichs (Waratahs)
2024: Siokapesi Palu (Brumbies)
2023: Cecilia Smith (Reds)
2022: Ivania Wong (Reds)
2021: Lucy Lockhart (née Dinnen) (Reds)
2020: Ema Masi (Brumbies)
2019: Tayla Stanford (Brumbies)
2018: Shanice Parker (Waratahs)
Rookie of the Year is awarded to the player who is deemed to have been the most outstanding first year player in Australia in the last 12 months.
Previously an award contested between all national and Super Rugby sides in the men's and women's competitions, the 2026 Awards ceremony will see the award split into a men's and women's category.
In the men's category, Harry Wilson will represent the sevens program and Sid Harvey (NSW Waratahs) and Treyvon Pritchard (Queensland Reds) complete the finalists, while the women's category sees a clean sweep of Wallaroos finalists in Amelia Whitaker, Lily Bone and Nicole Ledington.
2025: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii
2024: Tim Ryan
2023: Carys Dallinger
2022: Nick Frost
2021: Andrew Kellaway
2019: Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea and Jordan Petaia
2018: Taniela Tupou
2017: Ned Hanigan
These two awards are presented to a player 20 years or under in the year of the award, recognising outstanding performance and achievement at international, national or state level across the 15s and Sevens.
The men's award saw a tie in 2025, with Aden Ekanayake and Sid Harvey sharing the award for their combined efforts in the men's sevens and the Australia U20 side, while Mackenzie Davis completed a Sevens sweep of the category winning the women's award.
In 2026, these awards are set to be among the hardest to call, with Edwin Langi and Treyvon Pritchard included in the men's category for their form in the Australia U20 and at Super Rugby level, with U20 teammate Wallace Charlie recognised for his sevens form.
The women's award will be even more difficult, with SVNS World Championship star Amahli Hala recognised for her sevens form, going toe-to-toe with Wallaroos and Waratahs stars Amelia Whitaker and Waiaria Ellis, both of whom had huge years at national level.
2025: Aden Ekanayake and Sid Harvey (tied), & Mackenzie Davis
2024: Toby Macpherson & Caitlyn Halse
2023: Teddy Wilson & Faitala Moleka
The Try of the Year is awarded to the best try scored by an Australian across the past 12 months.
This includes Wallabies, Wallaroos, Super Rugby, Super Rugby Women's and Sevens.
All competitions will be represented in this year's nominations, with two Sevens tries and several big names in the mix for this award.
- Super Rugby Pacific: Joe Brial, Queensland Reds v Chiefs
- Super Rugby Women’s: Eva Karpani, Queensland Reds v Fijian Drua
- Sevens Men’s: Henry Hutchison v RSA, Valladolid Final
- Sevens Women’s: Kaitlin Shave v NZ, Valladolid Semi-Final
- Wallabies: Filipo Daugunu v NZ
- Wallaroos: Siokapesi Palu Sekona v Scotland
2025: Max Jorgensen v England, London
2024: Tim Ryan v Blues (Round 10 - Super Rugby Pacific)
2023: Jake Upfield v Highlanders (Round 14 - Super Rugby Pacific)
2022: Lalakai Foketi v France, Paris
2021: Taniela Tupou v South Africa, Brisbane
2019: Nic White v New Zealand, Perth
2018: Taqele Naiyaravoro v Rebels (Round 5 – Super Rugby)
2017: Joe Powell v Hurricanes (Round 2 - Super Rugby)
The Shawn Mackay Awards celebrates the best Sevens players from the past 12 months.
It is awarded to the standout and most consistent Australian Men's and Women's Sevens player across the last 12 months.
Maddison Levi is up for a third award in the women's category, with Isabella Nasser and Heidi Dennis also in contention amidst an congested field.
The 2021 and 2019 winners, Henry Hutchison and Maurice Longbottom respectively, will be up for the men's award, with Aden Ekanayake also included after a breakout season.
2025: James Turner & Faith Nathan
2024: Nathan Lawson & Maddison Levi
2023: Henry Paterson & Maddison Levi
2022: Corey Toole & Charlotte Caslick
2021: Henry Hutchison & Charlotte Caslick
2019: Maurice Longbottom & Charlotte Caslick
2018: Ben O'Donnell & Evania Pelite
2017: James Stannard & Chloe Dalton
The Wallaroos Player of the Year is awarded to the best and most consistent Women's player across the last 12 months.
It must be a representative of Australia's national women's team (Wallaroos XV) and recognises the female Australian Rugby player who has shown the most outstanding on-field performance over the last 12 months.
The award this year is set to go a new player, with 2025 winner Tabua Tuinakauvadra suffering an injury-hampered 2026 season.
Up for the award is Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona, who will face stiff competition in fellow loose forward Piper Duck, while Faitala Moleka has been recognised for her utility role across the 2026 season as the sole backline finalist.
2025: Tabua Tuinakauvadra
2024: Maya Stewart
2023: Eva Karpani
2022: Georgina Friedrichs
2019: Grace Hamilton
2018: Emily Chancellor
2017: Hillisha Samoa
The John Eales Medal is awarded to the best and most consistent Men's player across the last 12 months.
It must be a representative of Australia's national men's team (Wallabies) and recognises the male Australian Rugby player that has shown the most outstanding on-field performance over the last 12 months.
The shortlist is set to be announced on the night, but with the Wallabies picking up several big results in the last 12 months, who it will go to is an open question.
The winner of the 2025 medal, Len Ikitau, is likely to be among the list of names up for the award, as will be 2023-24 winner Rob Valetini. Fraser McReight has also had a huge year at multiple levels, likely a frontrunner for players who haven't won the medal in previous years.
His Reds and Wallabies captain Harry Wilson will likely also be up for consideration, while strong performances in the tight five from Jeremy Williams and Allan Alaalatoa will likely also be considered, especially given a tight five player has not won the award since 2012.
2025: Len Ikitau
2024: Rob Valetini
2023: Rob Valetini
2022: Marika Koroibete
2021: Michael Hooper
2020: Michael Hooper
2019: Marika Koroibete
2018: David Pocock
2017: Israel Folau
2016: Michael Hooper
2015: Israel Folau
2014: Israel Folau
2013: Michael Hooper
2012: Nathan Sharpe
2011: Kurtley Beale
2010: David Pocock
2009: Matt Giteau
2008: George Smith
2007: Nathan Sharpe
2006: Chris Latham
2005: Jeremy Paul
2004: David Lyons
2003: Phil Waugh
2002: George Smith
