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AFT Features, AFTNews, Daily Digest, Diet & Nutrition, Features Thai, Wellness

Chiva-Som now delivering wellness cuisine

Reinforcing its philosophy of inspiring daily physical and mental wellness lifestyle, a pioneer in transformative wellness, Chiva-Som is introducing the brand new ‘Wellness Delivery by Chiva-Som’. This service is available for Hua Hin residents, in which they can have healthy food and wellness products delivered straight to their homes.

Encouraging staying at home and also promoting your health and immune system, Chiva-Som’s latest delivery service is underpinned in the belief that a nutritious diet is the foundation of long-term health.

Chef Dan Bark (sixth left), Chef Sinchai Srivipa (fifth right) and Chiva-Som chef team in 2019

This is a unique culinary collaboration between Chiva-Som’s chef team and Michelin Star Chef Dan Bark, from Upstairs Mikkeller, Bangkok. Together, they have combined the Chiva-Som’s philosophy of nutritionally-rich wellness cuisine to support gut healing and immune system enhancement with Chef Dan’s signature cooking techniques and distinctive presentation, without compromising on delicious flavor.

The wellness cuisine menu features over 30 items that range from salads and soups to main courses, desserts, and drinks. Each item on this menu contains a number of health benefits with amazing flavor while remaining low in calories.

Items on the menu include:

Wellness Delivery by Chiva-Som drinks

·         Salad, Soup and Main Course – Natural Collagen Beef or Chicken Bone Broth, Symbiotic Yam Bean with Green Mango Salad, Massaman Osso Buco Curry, Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Oven-Baked Ratatouille with Prawn

·         Vegetarian Menu – Tofu Lasagne, Ginger Lentil Dahl and Fried Quinoa and Gaba Rice with Egg Whites

·         Desserts – Riceberry Pudding, Flourless Chocolate Parfait and Creamy Cashew Nut served with Calamarised Apple topped with Crumble

·         Healthy Shots – Immune Aid enhancing immunity and blood cleansing, Minty Green promoting digestive aid and lymphatic cleansing and Vit C Booster supporting antioxidant and the digestive system

The Wellness Delivery by Chiva-Som is currently available in the Hua Hin area, ordering from 10.00 to 18.00 each day.

To place an order or to make an enquiry, please contact the official line @chivasomdelivery or call us on 032 536 536.

AFT Features, Features Australia/NZ, Wellness

Chiva-Som launches complimentary onlline wellness services

A pioneer in transformative wellness practices, Chiva-Som in Hua Hin, Thailand, has announced the launch of Chiva-Som Online Wellness Services, to provide support and encourage individuals to maintain wellness goals during this unprecedented time. The Chiva-Som Online Wellness Services will be provided by wellness advisors, practitioners, and experts. The services include some of Chiva-Som’s most popular services including consultations, activities and physical training, all of which will be conducted one-on-one.

Chiva-Som has delivered its proven holistic wellness therapies to guests worldwide for over 25 years. In these challenging times, maintaining physical and mental wellbeing is much needed. The new tele-therapy service at Chiva-Som will connect individuals with the resort’s team to provide bespoke professional support during this time of heightened anxiety and social isolation. Participants will be able to speak directly to the experienced wellness team live from home via video communication and receive personalised feedback regarding lifestyle and nutrition.

Chiva-Som is also sharing a collection of on-demand, inspirational wellness content and hands-on tools across the resort’s digital channels to help everyone adapting to a new way of life within the limits of home. From healthy cuisine recipes and holistic wellbeing advice, to virtual exercise programmes and self-training tutorials, all curated by the resort’s world-class team of trainers and education facilitators, to keep the body and mind active and healthy whilst the resort is closed. Example features include tips on boosting the immune system and how to promote restful sleep; Pilates, yoga and meditation sessions; pranayama classes; and tutorials to teach to self-massage at home.  These are available on Chiva-Som’s blog www.chivasom.com/about-blog, Facebook chivasomresort, Instagram @chivasomresort and YouTube Chiva-Som International Health Resort channels.

“Now is a time for support, collaboration and encouragement. We are committed to our guests and community, in which we are striving to distribute our wellness resources to support people’s wellbeing without boundaries. We shall pass this together.” said Krip Rojanastien, Chairman and CEO of Chiva-Som.

The Complimentary Online Wellness Services are available daily from now to 31st May 2020. Please note that a reservation is required and should be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Individuals will receive a live health and wellness consultation, and a separate one-on-one consultation with a Naturopath, or a physiotherapy or exercise session with a practitioner. The selection of consultation, treatment and exercise session will be based on the advisor’s expert guidance.

For more information or to reserve a session, please email h-wreception@chivasom.com or visit our website www.chivasom.com/online-wellness-services or call telephone at +66 32 536 536.

Please visit Chiva-Som’s blog, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channel for daily inspiration.

AFT Features, AFTNews, Daily Digest, Fitness

TAITRA to hold TAIPEI CYCLE+ & TaiSPO+ Exhibitions in May 2020

[28 April 2020] Update: This event has been cancelled.

The TAIPEI CYCLE show and TaiSPO, hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, was originally scheduled to be held from March 4th to 7th. These 2 globally significant shows together, would normally attract over 5000 booths representing industry exhibitors from around the globe. Due to the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), there have been significant developments in the number of travel and logistical restrictions; bringing into question the practicality this year’s planned dates.

The resulting restrictions have left many exhibitors unable to travel to, or ship exhibition stands and sample goods to show as travel and freight restrictions start to be put in place. This has led the organisers to make the difficult decision to re-schedule the March 2020 edition of the event.

In these uncertain times, TAITRA stands together with Taiwanese industry and government to stabilize global confidence in Taiwan as the benchmark for sourcing quality and innovation. TAITRA will continue to organise several economic and trade development activities. 

Subject to the further development of the outbreak; in 2020, upon the request of those who still need this platform to explore business opportunities, TAITRA will hold the TAIPEI CYCLE+ & TaiSPO+ exhibitions, which will be held at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 from May 14th to 16th.

These special edition versions of these globally important shows will be held to support both the cycling and sporting goods industries. We expect to have companies with bicycles, components, electric bicycles and motor systems, fitness equipment, sportswear, smart sports, sporting services, ball sports, watersports, outdoor supplies and more.

The 3-day exhibition will also launch the first ever online exhibition concept, one-to-one procurement meetings, video conferences, and live-stream broadcasting. Services are provided to SMEs who need TAITRA’s assistance to find International customers.

TAITRA will coordinate its 63 international branch offices to invite buyers to visit Taiwan and send out a firm message to ensure confidence in the safety and quality to be expected when trading with Taiwanese companies.

For the latest details, please visit www.taipeicycle.com.tw and www.taispo.com.tw. 

AFT Features, Community, Editor's Note, Wellness

Movement Aid for seniors

I want you to move it #move8.

I was catching up with friends, and chatting about communities who would be most affected by global pandemics such as COVID-19. I decided to delve into researching about seniors and what was being done in the region and stumbled upon a truly heart warming story to share.

Senior Volunteerism by RSVP Singapore

RSVP Singapore is an organisation setup in 1998 with a vision to make every senior a volunteer! It is an Institution of Public Character and the National Centre of Excellence for Senior Volunteerism under the patronage of Mdm Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore.

If you’ve visited Singapore, you’ll notice many of its public events involve seniors and it’s a lovely and refreshing note to see people from all walks of life, contributing their time and playing a role in society. In Singapore, seniors as young as 55 years can enjoy discounts and offers from the various merchants. I found a useful link compiling savings here. There’s also reference to the Pioneer Generation, which denotes those who are aged 70 and above in 2019 who obtained Singapore citizenship on or before 31 December 1986).

On the RSVP Singapore website, seniors were invited to join and sign-up for the following:

  • Befriending
  • Episodic volunteering
  • Guiding
  • Training
  • Retire with a purpose
  • Social enterprise

RSVP has a clear mission and that is to develop senior volunteers and provide meaningful opportunities to serve the needs of the community. They do this by working with various partners to create volunteering opportunities to allow new and would-be volunteers to have a taste of volunteering. This movement, called Senior Volunteer Week (SVW), has grown from 30 activities involving over 1,000 volunteers in 2012 and stretched to a full month’s celebration from 2015 on.

What’s even more heartwarming is their Facebook page, which has about 3,300 odd followers. It shares that they now have 2,500 volunteers serving more than 200,000 beneficiaries each year including the mentally disadvantaged, at-risk children from low income families, and socially isolated seniors through its community service programmes.

A Facebook video response about mask distribution exercise by the Punggol 21 Community Club is embedded video below. For an external link, click here.

Besides community outreach, the RSVP group is also proactive in another kind of sharing, through food! You could visit their website to donate or purchase an RSVP Cookbook – a collection of culinary treasures contributed by its volunteers, many of whom are from the Pioneer Generation, with contribution from guest cooks.

The cookbook offers RSVP volunteers the opportunity to create, to write, photograph and cook the many dishes for the photo shoot. The video above shows how much fun it seemed in putting this book together.

To order, call or email. Note, book is for self-collection only.

On their website, transparency be the key, I read their 2018-2019 annual report and have reached out to RSVP Singapore via email to learn more about how other countries could learn from their experience. I’ll report more once I hear from them.

The efforts of RSVP Singapore ought be lauded as their management and volunteers have worked very hard and smart to bring so much joy to those involved. I believe this is a model that can be undertaken by many more countries so their seniors too can sign on as volunteers and play a role in society. The cook book is also a brilliant idea! Imagine if we were able to document by text, photo and video for every grandma’s recipe – what a treasure trove that would be for not just the family, their community and the nation!

As a carer of my 75-year old mother, I’ve often wondered if there was such a service available – a club where seniors could volunteer and episodic is a good word! Sometimes what’s concerning is to just volunteer once and because of medical conditions or other reasons, a senior person isn’t able to continue physically however the heart is willing. I know my mum has lots more to contribute to society, anecdotes, laughter and amazing customer service skills too! I found a senior’s day care centre, but it’s not something she’d be keen to do because I too would feel awkward being left in a place where I know no one.

A Move8 Walkathon in Kuala Lumpur

And that was one of the driving forces behind the Move8 fitness movement that Nikki and I started in 2018. Our intention was to help move as many humans as we could, once a month, with organised activities. Just this month, we’ve rolled out MOVEAID, a support platform that helps bring together certified professionals and non-certified buddies to provide virtual movement sessions (or anything that requires movement assistance from groceries to medications during COVID-19) to serve our senior citizens who have contributed so much to our lives.

Meanwhile, if you’re home and would like to help a senior in your home moving, here’s a special playlist we’ve put together just for them. Keep on moving #move8.

Move8 Seniors Playlist

AFT Features, Fitness, Home Gym

Exercise while Staying at Home

Tips to stay active at home

Locked down at home, no worries! Try to stay active and boost your immunity with those simple exercise tips;

Right click, save and share 🙂

1- Plan your exercise program and make to-do list
2- Stay active for a minimum of 30 min per day for 5 or more days per week.
3- Remember the 4 main elements of exercise:
a. Warm up 3-5 min
b. Conditioning 15-25 min (3 days aerobics and 2 days resistance)
c. Cool down 3-5 min
d. Stretching minimum of 5 min
4- Best exercise experience is with your partner or your kids
5- With your children be creative and let them move around the house
6- Always change your exercise routine and beat the boredom
7- No equipment, no problem you can use anything available including your body weight.
8- Exercise from a chair can be fun and ideal for older adult
9- YouTube can be great source for tones of exercise varieties, remember to choose wisely

Text provided by Dr. Ayman Al-Bedri, Secretary-General, Society of Exercise is Medicine Malaysia. Photo credit: Steven Raj Advisory Board Member EiMM.

AFT Features, AFT TV

Interview: Marilee Pierce Dunker, World Vision Ambassador

Video

Team AFTNN had the honour of meeting and interviewing Marilee Pierce Dunker, World Vision ambassador and daughter of founder, Bob Pierce. This was recorded at the World Vision office in Kuala Lumpur in May 2019. During her visit to Malaysia, Ms. Dunker visited and gave inspirational talks at schools and colleges.

Date:
19 April 2020 (Sunday)

Time:
7am – 9am

Venue:
Dataran DBKL 1,
Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur (starting and finishing line)

RM60 per participant
There will be a child-friendly 2.5km route in addition to the normal 7km route.

AsiaFitnessToday.com is a proud supporter of World Vision’s #RunforChildren. Visit https://www.worldvision.com.my/run-for-children to sign up.

AFT Features, AFT Interviews, AFTNews, Sport

Lee Xin Ni: Malaysian Table Tennis Fireball

If you met Lee Xin Ni at a mall, you’ll be forgiven for thinking this 13 year old is a pushover. Shy in demeanor, she obviously doesn’t speak much but when she does, it hits the ball (pun intended).

Although she is yet a household name, Xin Ni was in the sports spotlight when she won her third singles match over Poland at the 2019 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cadet Challenge. Her win meant the Hopes Team, that she was part of, went into the Finals to meet Team Europe.

Lee Xin Ni (1st from Right) with her ITTF Teammates with their Silver medals. Photo courtesy of TTAM

Meanwhile, she won the bronze medal for mixed doubles with 16 year old partner Choong Javen at the 56th Malaysia Open Table Tennis Tournament held in December 2019.

So what makes Xin Ni tick?

She lives with the mottos, “Have a dream” and “Work Hard”.  And she does work hard indeed! Practicing six to seven days a week, her training begins at 5pm. She says she begins by stretching for about 15 minutes then move on to warming up with some table tennis with her sparring partner or senior players. After that is 1.5 hours of drill practice where her coaches will help her improve her technique. Next, she plays some matches before cooling down.

But the sacrifices are worth it. As of our interview, Xin Ni has visited no less than 12 countries and met friends from around the world, all thanks to table tennis She also enjoys being able to try the different cuisine each country offers.  

But her mind is not always on food though. Just like every professional athlete, she always prepares herself before going for a tournament.            Aside from setting a personal goal, she also will take the time to study her opponents.

Shy and sweet, Lee Xin Ni is a smash on the table tennis circuit

She takes competing seriously because she “enjoys the fighting process.”

Lee Xin Ni started playing table tennis at the age of six with the encouragement of her mother who used to play table tennis for her school. When asked if she considers table tennis a physical exercise, she replies, “Yes, because it can improve your speed, response, eyesight, judgment, and determination.”

So what’s next for this fireball? Hopefully we will see more of Lee Xin Ni in the near future and who knows, she may be competing in the Olympics in the near future!

Asia Fitness Today’s interview with Lee Xin Ni was held at the Table Tennis Association of Malaysia and was conducted by our intern, Dany Haiqal.

AFT Features, AFT Reviews, AFTNews

Babel Fit KLCC – A secret review

First of all, under no circumstances was Asia Fitness Today paid to do this review. In fact, Babel Fit did not even know we did this. During the launch of Babel KLCC, one of the goodies we received was a month-long pass which we utilized for this review.

Babel seems like the perfect gym for all of us. The gym features top of the line equipment and amenities. Sounds too good to be true but with plush towels that’s softer than your moisturizing conditioner hair, one can’t complain.

Your first impression of Babel KLCC is its entrance. It looks posh, to say the least. Second, there is this pleasant aroma that wafts through you as you walk in. This aroma is all over the gym too. I don’t know what this is but it made me feel relaxed and energized at the same time whenever I go to Babel.

On my first day at Babel, I went at 8 am and did the registration. I registered for the HIIT30 class straightaway by Evon, scheduled at 10 am. I had two hours of free time until the class so I decided to do some warm ups in the training room.

Babel KLCC access card

Obviously there is a lot of the latest equipment provided there but what caught my eye was the sheer number of actual living plants there. My photos do not do them justice. They just look like plastic plants but, trust me, they are as real as you and I. The plants made me felt as though I was being given extra oxygen during my warm up. According to Babel, they have an in-house botanist that helps them maintain these plants.

Be surrounded by real plants at Babel KLCC

Then it was time for HIIT30. For the uninitiated, HIIT30 is a class where we push ourselves to reach our limit in 30 minutes. So, four different exercises for four rounds with just one minute of rest in between. It was really tough for a newbie like I am. But did I feel good? I obviously did.

After my class I decided to pamper myself at the infra-red sauna. It looks as though it is based on Japanese design but I can’t be sure. Well, it doesn’t really matter because as soon as I entered the sauna, I was able to relax and calm my mind. I might have even fallen asleep in there!

I didn’t manage to go to Babel as often as I would like to as work had me bogged down but after a week I went there as soon as I was done with work. I felt as though I needed to recoup the days I missed so I did it by deciding that it was a good idea to attend three classes in a row.

My obvious first class back to the gym is my now all-time favorite, HIIT30. There are no words that can describe how much I enjoy this class at Babel. As soon as I was done with this, I went for Slo Flo Yoga. Led by Tony, I found the class quite relaxing and personally I enjoyed the stretching after the vigorous HIIT class. It’s best said now that this was my first yoga class ever. I learned to control my breathing and didn’t drop a single sweat during the class.

Slo Flo Yoga

I had a 30 minute break from yoga to my final class. This would be the first time for me to attend an RnR class and luckily I was met with a familiar face by way of the trainer. I’m pretty sure you can guess what kind of class this is solely based on its name. So yes, we do some more stretching but it wasn’t as gentle as Slo Fo Yoga though. I ended feeling sore despite it supposedly to be a relaxing class as well. Despite the soreness I actually liked this class as I did not feel tired out from it and completely understand why it was slotted as the final class of the day.

Before I left Babel KLCC, I decided to utilize the Bad Lab products available in the men’s locker room (Good Virtue’s Co products are featured in the women’s locker room). It was not bad and made me feel pretty good for the trip home.

Words cannot express how much I love doing HIIT at Babel and my final HIIT30 class was scheduled at 6 pm. This time I had a new trainer – Jean K. It was a great experience as she’s quite energetic and she would be shouting words of encouragement at us so we would be able to keep up and moving.

However, unlike the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended, we didn’t have any simple warm up at the beginning of the class. Jean began the class with a really challenging warm up. Another difference is that there are eight of us in this class. There were two to four people in the other HIIT30 classes I’ve attended. This surely proves Jean’s effectiveness and popularity. I was seriously exhausted in her class but keep moving as she constantly encourages us to not give up.

Babel KLCC

Ok, maybe I should’ve tried more classes but I got hooked on HIIT. But this is what I have to say about Babel KLCC – you have to see and experience it for yourself. At Babel KLCC, seeing is barely believing thus you would have to go for some classes to fully immerse yourself with the Babel experience. I give them 10/10 for overall experience, classes offered, amenities and location.

AFT Features, AFTNews, Sport

Naomi Osaka talks about a rollercoaster 2019

Naomi Osaka, the world’s current No.3 ranking tennis player, recently spoke to CNN Sport about the rollercoaster of a year she’s been having.

Despite having won two consecutive Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour events, almost eight months went by before she was able to garner any wins. This gave her strength for the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China.

She told CNN, “I think (my) mindset, I think I’m more confident in myself than I was before.”

She has struggled with the attention that came with being the world’s No. 1 but did not manage to win the year’s three other grand slams.

This mid-season slump is the catalyst that strengthened her resolve to fight her way back to the top.

“I actually had this dip after I became No. 1 because I couldn’t really handle it too much,” said Naomi, “I won the two grand slams, had the dip and then suddenly everyone counted me out of it a little bit.

“And the I was thinking to myself I didn’t want to be the person that fades away. And whatever happens, I want to leave some sort of legacy.”

After having some time to reflect on her performance, Naomi found renewed joy in playing tennis. She says the most important thing is to “Enjoy what you’re doing, no matter what it is.”

AFT Features, AFTNews, Rugby, Sport

Du Toit and Scarratt named World Rugby Players of the Year 2019

South Africa’s Pieter-Steph du Toit and England’s Emily Scarratt have been named World Rugby Men’s and Women’s 15s Player of the Year 2019 in association with Mastercard respectively at the World Rugby Awards in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday.

On a night to remember at The Prince Park Tower, only 24 hours after South Africa had lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time with a 32-12 defeat of England, greats of the game past and present and the rugby family celebrated the outstanding achievers of the year.

On a celebratory night for world champions South Africa, Rassie Erasmus was named World Rugby Coach of the Year and the Springboks were also crowned World Rugby Team of the Year for the first time since 2009.

Du Toit was named the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year 2019, becoming the first Springbok recipient since Bryan Habana in 2007 and third overall.

He received the award ahead of five other nominees in Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, England flanker Tom Curry, New Zealand flanker Ardie Savea, South Africa team-mate Cheslin Kolbe and USA hooker Joe Taufete’e.

Du Toit said: “To my team-mates and our coaching staff, everyone here tonight said it is a team sport and I can’t emphasise it more. To my team-mates, the friendship we made over these last few months is unbelievable and for me personally it is a massive honour for me to accept this award.

“I think if the players around you play good rugby as well and you have got good coaching staff around you and you set your standards a bit higher it is just the way your life goes forward. It is an unbelievable feeling and the Springboks mean so much to me, I can’t describe it.”

Scarratt slipped seamlessly back into 15s in 2019 to claim the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award, the first English player to do so since her captain Sarah Hunter in 2016.

She received the award ahead of four other nominees in England team-mates Sarah Bern and Katy Daley-Mclean, France scrum-half Pauline Bourdon and New Zealand scrum-half Kendra Cocksedge.

Scarratt said: “We don’t chase after individual accolades and achievements in a team sport and I have been unbelievably lucky to play with and against some fantastic players over the years and it is pretty cool for sure.

“The quality of rugby in England and around the world is going through the roof. It is really exciting, I think the women’s game over the last few years has really pushed on and it is definitely down to us to showcase what we are about, put good quality rugby out there for people to see and hopefully New Zealand 2021 is going to be one hell of a spectacle.”

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “This has been a very special year for rugby, culminating in one of the great Rugby World Cups.

“All of the nominees should be very proud, but Pieter-Steph du Toit and Emily Scarratt have been outstanding this year and thoroughly deserve their accolade.

“They have not just demonstrated their excellence on the field, but they are also superb ambassadors for the game and an inspiration for a new generation of players and fans.”

The award winners were selected by independent panels, who voted on every match from the Six Nations through to the Rugby World Cup 2019 final. The process also involved player input. For more details on the respective awards panels, click here.

World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year in association with Mastercard – Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

A linchpin in the South African pack, Du Toit has started nine of the Springboks’ 11 tests in 2019 and been an unused replacement in the RWC 2019 win over Canada. The towering 27-year-old may have flitted between second-row and flanker in the early days of his international career, but he has made the No.7 jersey his own over the last two years and his work-rate and versatility mean he is one of the first names down on Rassie Erasmus’ team sheet.

Nominees: Tom Curry (England), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Ardie Savea (New Zealand), Joe Taufete’e (USA)

World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in association with Mastercard – Emily Scarratt (England)

The centre slipped back into 15s rugby in 2019 as if she had never been away playing sevens since Rugby World Cup 2017, starting four matches in a Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam winning campaign, and scoring a try against Scotland. The 29-year-old always seems to have more time on the ball, gliding through gaps or releasing team-mates into space. She was at her most dangerous in the Women’s Rugby Super Series, scoring four tries in her three starts and 43 points in total.

Nominees: Sarah Bern (England), Pauline Bourdon (France), Kendra Cocksedge (New Zealand), Katy Daley-Mclean (England)

World Rugby Team of the Year – South Africa

South Africa have created history on a number of fronts in 2019, the first to win both the Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup in the same year but also the first to lift the Webb Ellis Cup after losing a match, against New Zealand in their Pool B opener. That loss, 23-13, is their only one of the year, having won 10 and drawn the other of their 12 tests. On the back of their third Rugby World Cup success, the Springboks have risen to also number one in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings for the first time since November 2009.

Nominees: England, Japan, New Zealand, Wales

World Rugby Coach of the Year – Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)

It might not have been Rassie Erasmus’ intention to become Springboks head coach when he returned to South Africa but he has taken to the role with aplomb. An astute tactician, he has bonded the team together impressively and been rewarded with results. This year South Africa have won the Rugby Championship title and become the first team to lose a match in the pool stages and go on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup after a dominant 32-12 defeat of England, a result which took them back to the top of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings for the first time since November 2009.

Nominees: Warren Gatland (Wales), Steve Hansen (New Zealand), Eddie Jones (England), Jamie Joseph (Japan)

World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in association with Tudor – Romain Ntamack (France)

A World Rugby U20 Championship winner in 2018, Romain Ntamack is calmness personified on a rugby pitch despite being just 20 and the youngest member of France’s RWC 2019 squad. He made his debut at centre in the Six Nations opener against Wales in February but has now made the fly-half berth his own, starting eight of his 12 tests there, including three in Japan. The son of RWC 1999 runner-up Émile, he has clearly inherited his father’s vision, flair and desire to attack the line.

Nominees: Joe Cokanasiga (England), Herschel Jantjies (South Africa)

World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Jerry Tuwai (Fiji)

Fijian playmaker Jerry Tuwai was nominated for the third year running after once again carving open defences at will with his vision and step, making the most of his diminutive frame to dart through gaps to create opportunities for himself or those around him. He may no longer have the captain’s armband but he is still the heartbeat of the Fijian side, helping them win titles in Cape Town, Hamilton, Hong Kong, London and Paris and a third series title for himself. The 30-year-old also featured in the HSBC Dream Team for the third year in a row.

Nominees: Folau Niua (USA), Stephen Tomasin (USA)

World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Ruby Tui (New Zealand)

A powerful runner and tireless worker at the breakdown, Ruby Tui is one of the first names down on coach Allan Bunting’s team sheet and someone who never gives less than 100 per cent for the Black Ferns Sevens’ cause. The 27-year-old, like her fellow nominees, was named in the HSBC Dream Team for the 2019 series, having started every match and scored 15 tries in their title-winning season. A New Zealand team without Tui in it is not as scary a prospect for teams, not only for her physicality but the way she inspires others around her with her performances.

Nominees: Sarah Hirini (New Zealand), Tyla Nathan-Wong (New Zealand)

World Rugby Referee Award – Wayne Barnes (England)

The 40-year-old is one of the most experienced referees of all time, having taken charge of his 90th test on Friday with the bronze final in Tokyo at the end of his fourth Rugby World Cup. A good communicator on the field, and a part-time barrister and trial advocate in London off it, Barnes has been an international referee for 13 years. With an attention to detail that is first-class, he is a great team player and leader who is always willing to help others learn.

Nominees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Nigel Owens (Wales), Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Award for Character in association with Land Rover – The city of Kamaishi

Rugby has a long, proud history in Kamaishi and the rugby community was a pillar of strength in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and resultant tsunami on 11 March, 2011 that claimed more than 1,000 lives in the town. As Kamaishi began the long road to recovery the idea was raised of hosting Rugby World Cup 2019 matches to bring hope to the local people. An emotional presentation convinced Japan 2019 organisers to name Kamaishi one of its 12 host cities and the Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium was duly built on the site of the elementary and junior schools that were destroyed. On 25 September, 14,025 fans were welcomed for the Fiji v Uruguay match on a day of celebration and remembrance. Typhoon Hagibis sadly forced the cancellation of the Namibia v Canada match on 13 October – with both teams pitching in to help the recovery effort – but Kamaishi was already one of the endearing stories of RWC 2019.

Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – Bernard Lapasset (France)

The former World Rugby Chairman is recognised as an exceptional leader and a true visionary. He oversaw many of the significant moments in the game’s history, including Rugby World Cup 1995 in South Africa and the transition to professionalism during his first spell, and then rugby’s return to the Olympic Games programme in the form of sevens and the decision to award RWC 2019 to Japan during his eight-year tenure from 2008-16. A recipient of the Légion d’Honneur in 2006 and the Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur a decade later, Lapasset was also instrumental in France hosting RWC 2007 and is currently co-chairman of the Organising Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

IRP Try of the Year – TJ Perenara (New Zealand, v Namibia)

Playing in the unfamiliar role of fly-half against Namibia at Tokyo Stadium, TJ Perenara side-stepped Prince Gaoseb before racing into opposition territory and producing a stunning pass to George Bridge. Once play was recycled Rieko Ioane popped a pass to Brad Weber whose ridiculous offload found Perenara on the left wing. The All Blacks replacement set a course for the line, brushing off tackles from Obert Nortje and Helarius Kisting to touch down in the corner. Just.

Nominees: Charles Ollivon (France, v Wales), Sergio Parisse (Italy, v Russia), Cobus Reinach (South Africa, v Canada)

IRP Special Merit Award – Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)

Jamie Heaslip played 95 tests for Ireland, 13 of them as captain, and five for the British and Irish Lions from 2006-17 to take his place in the centurions’ club. The number eight enjoyed unprecedented success with Ireland, including Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam, not to mention numerous honours on the domestic front with Leinster. Off the field, Heaslip has worked with International Rugby Players and as a representative on World Rugby’s Rugby Committee and Rugby Athletes’ Commission, and also with the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee, speaking for players at all levels, men’s and women’s, sevens and 15s. The 35-year-old has also worked proactively with Rugby Players Ireland on issues such as protecting sensitive player data and image rights.

Full list of World Rugby Awards winners
World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year, in association with Mastercard – Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, in association with Mastercard – Emily Scarratt (England)
World Rugby Team of the Year – South Africa
World Rugby Coach of the Year – Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)
World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in association with Tudor – Romain Ntamack (France)
World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Jerry Tuwai (Fiji)
World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year in association with HSBC – Ruby Tui (New Zealand)
World Rugby Referee Award – Wayne Barnes (England)
Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – Bernard Lapasset (France)
Award for Character in association with Land Rover – The city of Kamaishi
IRP Special Merit Award – Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
IRP Try of the Year – TJ Perenara (New Zealand, v Namibia)

For more details on the World Rugby Awards, visit www.world.rugby/awards.