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The All Blacks with the supreme Halberg Award - Source: Photosport
Richie McCaw with his Sportsman of the Year award - Source: Photosport -
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The All Blacks have come home with a clean sweep of the honours at the Halberg Awards held in Auckland.
Their heroics at the 2011 Rugby World Cup earned the All Blacks the supreme award and Team of the Year along with Coach of the Year for Sir Graham Henry and Sportsman of the Year for captain Richie McCaw.
The All Blacks completed the sweep by winning New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment, voted for by the public. The 'Final Whistle from the All Blacks v France Rugby World Cup Final' headed off the other favourite Sporting Moments, in a close contest.
It was the first time since the 1987 All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, that rugby had claimed the supreme Halberg Award, widely acknowledged as this country's most sought after sporting trophy.
To win the supreme award the All Blacks headed off other Halberg Award contenders - Sportsman of the Year winner Richie McCaw, Sportswoman of the Year winner Valerie Adams and Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year winner, Sophie Pascoe. The trophy was presented to the All Blacks by Sir Brian Lochore and David Kirk, coach and captain of the 1987 All Black team.
Several other sporting luminaries made personal tributes to Richie McCaw, coach Henry and the triumphant 2011 All Blacks, the only team to go through the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament unbeaten.
For McCaw, who carried a serious foot injury into the Rugby World Cup and finished the competition as the most capped All Black (103), his victory in the Sportsman of the Year category came ahead of fellow All Black Jerome Kaino, world single scull rowing champion Mahe Drysdale and double Olympic gold medal equestrian champion Mark Todd, who won the 3-day Badminton event last year.
In the race for Sportswoman of the Year honours, Valerie Adams, who went through the year unbeaten in all shotput competitions, won the title for a sixth time, ahead of K1 200m World Canoeing Champion, Lisa Carrington, World Champion-of-Champions bowls singles winner, Jo Edwards and triathlete, Andrea Hewitt, winner of 3 ITU events in 2011.
In the newly introduced Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year category, swimmer Sophie Pascoe won the award for winning two gold medals in world record time at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships.
Pascoe took the award ahead of fellow finalists Michael Johnson, winner of the 10m air rifle standing mixed SH2 title at the Para Shooting World Championships, cyclist Jane Parsons, winner of the 3km pursuit at the Para Cycling World Championships, and Daniel Sharp, 50m SB13 breaststroke champion at the International Blind Sport World Championships.
Sir Graham, who was also voted the IRB 'Coach of the Year' for 2011, completed a notable double by claiming the Coach of the Year category, heading off NZ Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, rowing coach Dick Tonks and women's team pursuit cycling coach Dayle Cheatley.
The Emerging Talent award, for individual athletes aged under 21 who are yet to achieve international success at elite level, was won by 17-year-old shot put sensation Jacko Gill. Gill earned a $15,000 sporting scholarship.
Three former Halberg Award winners, John Kirwan, one of the heroes of the 1987 World Cup winning All Black team, plus Philippa Baker and Brenda Lawson, world lightweight double scull rowing champions, were inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
2011 Halberg Awards winners:
Westpac Sportsman of the Year: Richie McCaw (Rugby)
Finalists: Mahe Drysdale (Rowing), Jerome Kaino (Rugby) and Mark Todd (Equestrian).
Westpac Sportswoman of the Year: Valerie Adams
Finalists: Lisa Carrington (Canoeing), Jo Edwards (Bowls) and Andrea Hewitt (Triathlon).
Halberg Trust Disabled Sports Person of the Year: Sophie Pascoe (Para-Swimming)
Finalists: Michael Johnson (Para-Shooting), Jayne Parsons (Para-Cycling) and Daniel Sharp (Para-Swimming).
Westpac Team of the Year: All Blacks
Finalists: Men's Double Scull (Rowing), Women's Pair (Rowing) and Men's Pair (Rowing).
Coach of the Year: Sir Graham Henry (Rugby)
Finalists: Dick Tonks (Rowing), Dayle Cheatley (Cycling) and Gordon Tietjens (Rugby)
New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment: All Blacks
Finalists: NZ Breakers - Win Australian National Basketball League Championship; ANBL Final, North Shore, New Zealand
Valerie Adams - Dominates the field to win Gold; IAAF World Championships, Daegu, Korea
Men's Pair - Hamish Bond and Eric Murray win Gold; World Rowing Championships, Bled, Slovenia
NZ Warriors - Lewis Brown's try sends Warriors to NRL Grand Final; Warriors v Storm, NRL Preliminary Final, Melbourne, Australia
All Blacks - The final whistle; All Blacks v France, Rugby World Cup Final, Auckland, New Zealand
Black Caps - Doug Bracewell bowls Nathan Lyon to win test match; Blackcaps v Australia, Hobart, Australia
Sports Hall of Fame Induction:John Kirwan (rugby), Philippa Baker and Brenda Lawson (rowing)
The Lion Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award:Bruce Cameron (weight-lifting, NZ Olympic selector)
Sport New Zealand Leadership Award:Sir Murray Halberg
