Sevens captains Hutchison, Nasser claim Shawn Mackay Awards

Thu, Oct 29, 2026, 10:35 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
Shawn Mackay Award - Women's Sevens Player of the Year | Rugby Australia Awards 2026

Australia Sevens captains Henry Hutchison and Bella Nasser have taken out the Shawn Mackay Awards at the Rugby Australia Awards.

The captains swept the awards on Rugby’s night of nights after a brilliant 12 months.

Follow all the action from the 2026 Rugby Australia Awards here

It’s Hutchison’s second Shawn Mackay Award and Nasser’s first honour, with the pair already turning their attention to December’s World Series opener in Dubai.

Hutchison previously won the award in 2021 alongside Charlotte Caslick, besting Aden Ekanayake and Maurice Longbottom.

It caps off a strong season for Hutchison, who was previously nominated for World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year.

Hutchison led the Aussies as they broke a title drought in Valladolid during the World Championship.

The win put Australia in the top four of the overall series, third in the regular season.

The 29-year-old goes one step further than in 2025, missing out to James Turner previously.

As for Nasser, it’s the Queenslander’s first major honour after leading Australia to the World Championship title.

Nasser was named Player of the Final in Cape Town, helping Australia secure their lone World Series regular-season win.

The skipper went to another level in the three-leg World Championship, inspiring the Aussies to the title in Valladolid and Bordeaux.

Nasser was also selected for the Dream Team alongside Maddison Levi and Heidi Dennis.

All three were up for the Shawn Mackay Award, with World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Levi pipped by the captain to the top award in Australia.

The Australian teams are currently in New Zealand, continuing to prepare for the upcoming World Series.

This follows the women defeating the Kiwis and the men splitting their series with Fiji as part of the Kick On Sevens at Easts Rugby.

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