McCaw recognised as 2009′s best
.New Zealand captain Richie McCaw won the International Rugby Board (IRB) player of the year award for 2009, the global governing body has announced, so becoming the first player to win the award twice.
Outstanding flanker McCaw, who won the IRB award for the first time in 2006, succeeded Wales wing Shane Williams as player of the year. .
World champion South Africa took the team of the year award, having won the Tri-Nations title and defeated the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in a Test series in 2009.
This year he saw off competition for the award from South Africa duo Francois Steyn and Fourie du Preez, Australia fly-half Matt Giteau, the Ireland pair of skipper Brian O’Driscoll and back-row Jamie Heaslip and England loose forward Tom Croft.
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Meanwhile, Declan Kidney was named coach of the year after overseeing Ireland’s 2009 Six Nations grand slam – the team’s first clean sweep of northern hemisphere rugby union’s premier international tournament in 61 years