South Africa swoop for a pioneer very much at the top of her game

In 2011 the Rugby Writers of Ireland (RWI) awarded their first Women’s Player of the Year award to Lynne Cantwell. It would be a lie to suggest the decision was reached after an exhaustive review of video footage. Equally it would be wrong to suggest the recipient was not head and shoulders above the other contenders — no mean feat if you think of the characters in that Ireland side who would go on to beat New Zealand a few years later in the World Cup.