Rugcademy Award winners 2012

MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYERHas to be Glen Walters. Anybody who scores 134 points in nine games - 30 penalties, 17 conversions and two tries - is, by any standards, a major contributor to the team effort. Walters now holds the Wairarapa-Bush record for most points scored in any one season.

MOST CONSISTENT BACK Jesse McGilvary by a country mile. Does a good impression of Conrad Smith, 100 per cent committed on attack and defence. Seldom puts a foot wrong.

MOST CONSISTENT FORWARD The nod goes to Andrew McLean, the main "go to" man at lineout time, aggressive scrapper for maul and ruck ball and punishing runner in broken play. Highly commended awards to Kurt Simmonds, Tom Fleming, Johan van Vliet and James Goodger.

MOST EXCITINGHow could you go past Inia Katia? Whether he was at halfback or wing, he regularly dazzled the opposition with nifty footwork and rapid acceleration. Wings Cameron Hayton and Nathan Hunt and fullback Nick Olson are other backs vying for the runner-up spot alongside flankers Van Vliet and Goodger.

MOST VERSATILETom Fleming gets the nod over Katia but not by much. Fleming was top value at lock and No 8, winning his share of lineout ball and often punching holes in the opposition defence with his aggressive running.

BEST DEFENSIVEFront rowers wouldn't usually win an award of this kind but skipper Kurt Simmonds so often made crunching tackles in close-quarter play that he's our top pick and, what's more, a couple of hookers in Richard Puddy and Jamie Hunt would be his closest rivals. Loosies Van Vliet and Goodger and midfielders Titapu Pairama-Lewington and McGilvary are worth a mention too.

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCEThe all-round excellence of flanker James Goodger in the last of the preliminary round matches against Horowhenua-Kapiti was something special. He was an absolute ball of energy in general and broken play.

GOING PLACESFlankers Johan van Vliet and James Goodger are a couple of young forwards who will surely make their mark at a higher level of the game, both building on the outstanding promise they displayed in 2011. LEADERSHIP The best captains lead by example and Kurt Simmonds did exactly that. He scrummaged strongly, was assertive in the mauls and rucks and still found time to make countless tackles. Throw in some rampaging bursts in broken play and he was virtually the complete package.

OFF THE BENCHPlayers coming off the reserve bench seldom failed to make a positive impact but we believe Jamie Hunt was the most effective of all of them. He literally threw himself into the fray game after game and was never slow in urging his team-mates to follow suit. If there was an award for sheer enthusiasm he would probably have won that too.

And now the drum roll ...

SUPREME CHAMPIONIt was a close call between all the category winners but taking his place at the head of the red carpet is Kurt Simmonds, captain extraordinaire.