Photo via BBC Sport

Carre and Keight win top Welsh rugby awards

Saracens front-rower Rhys Carre and Sale back Courtney Keight have been crowned the men's and women's players of the season by the Welsh Rugby Writers' Association. Carre becomes the first prop to claim the prestigious distinction since Gethin Jenkins in 2009, having featured in 11 of 12 international fixtures across the 2025-26 campaign.

His standout season included dotting down in three consecutive 2026 Six Nations clashes—highlighted by a solo effort in Dublin voted try of the tournament, alongside scores against France and Scotland—as well as a try during a summer victory over Fiji. Other WRWA honors saw Cardiff's Steffan Emanuel and scrum-half Seren Lockwood collect the respective men's and women's young player awards, while Canada international Sion Parry of Ebbw Vale picked up the Super Rygbi Cymru trophy.

Now 28, Carre originally debuted for Wales in August 2019 and finished fourth at that year's World Cup in Japan as the youngest squad member, only to be omitted from the 2023 tournament by Warren Gatland over conditioning metrics. After regaining his place under head coach Steve Tandy in late 2025, the St Albans-based loose-head reflected on his journey and highlighted the team's ongoing rebuilding progress as he targets a return to the global stage.