All-Japan Champions Suntory Sungoliath’s Atsushi Hiwasa awarded Emerging Player of the Year award
Atsushi Hiwasa of the famed Suntory Sungoliath, the All-Japan Champions has been awarded the first ever Asian 5 Nations (A5N) ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ award.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Limited and the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) have announced a new award category, that of the HSBC A5N Emerging Player of the Year award.
The selection for the award is done by a panel of people that includes the HSBC ARFU coach, Frank Hadden; International Rugby Board (IRB) Regional General Manager for Asia, Jarrad Gallagher; ARFU Honorary Secretary General, Ross Mitchell; HSBC A5N commentator,
Mike Rehu and other rugby media personnel from all over Asia.
This award is a testament for new and emerging rugby players, most especially Asian rugby players. The award distinguishes the Asian players from the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Top Five competition. This initial honour of the Emerging Player of the Year has been
awarded to Hiwasa, the half-back of the Suntory Sungoliath.
The company Suntory Beverage owns the Sungoliath's team which has been established since 1980. They have been champions of the All-Japan Championship and that of Top League among the Japanese Rugby Union teams. The Sungoliath’s have had a good season so
far.
The proof of their excellent performance can be seen as their win in the HSBC A5N Top Five 2011 tournament. They prevailed over Kazakhstan – previous champions of 2009 and 2010, Hong Kong, UAE, and Sri Lanka.
Hiwasa has played rugby since high school, playing as the captain of the rugby club, and pursuing the game in his university years as well. His season so far has been exceptional. This is recognisable through his previously awarded the Japanese professional
rugby’s Rookie of the Year, and his overall performance throughout in tournaments like the A5N and others.
Another positive force of his performance is the latest award of Emerging Player of the Year, which the Chief Executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific, Peter Wong Tung-shun confirms by stating, “We congratulate Atsushi Hiwasa of Japan for winning the HSBC Asian 5
Nations Emerging Player of the Year award, following his excellent performances in the 2011 tournament.”
Furthermore, the Japan coach and HSBC Ambassador John Kirwan, appreciated such a talent as Hiswasa and advised him to keep up his performance level so as to glorify Japan in the Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011).
Hiswasa appreciates the honour of the HSBC A5N award and says, “I have a strong determination to maintain my good performances, and in doing so I hope to contribute to the development of Japanese rugby and Asian rugby as a whole. As the winner of this award
and a representative of the Asian rugby family, I will continue to do my best to be selected to the Japan squad for Rugby World Cup 2011.”
The award is thus an honour for Atsushi Hiwasa marking a constructive spot in his successful career, in the home games, Asian rugby, and the RWC 2011.
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