Rugby Union · Forward Of The Season
Rugby Union Forward of the Season Award
A rugby union forward of the season award goes to the member of the pack who did the hard, often unseen work all year. Props, hookers, locks and back-rowers rarely make the highlights, yet the set piece and the breakdown decide most community games. This page covers how clubs pick the winner, what to print on the award and how it sits alongside the rest of your end-of-season honours.
A few ways to make it yours
The designer
Design yours
Upload your club crest, type up to four lines and see it on the glass.
Simple pricing
End of season award prices: £8.99 small · £13.99 large
Mix sizes and designs freely. One delivery charge per order.
Minimum 5 awards. Delivery £10.00 per order.
Rugby union end of season awards: rewarding the work nobody films
Forwards wear numbers one to eight and do their best work in places spectators struggle to see: the front row holding a scrum steady, a lock winning lineout ball on the opposition throw, a flanker slowing down ruck ball for the twentieth time in a match.
That is why so many clubs give the pack its own award rather than leaving everything to a single player of the season. A back who scores a hat-trick is easy to remember in April. The prop who started every game is not, unless someone makes the case for him or her.
How clubs choose their best forward
At many clubs the forwards coach makes the call with the head coach, looking back over the season's matches. Some keep simple counts through the year, such as tackles, carries, turnovers won and lineout success, which give the decision something firmer than memory.
Others let the pack vote. A forwards-only ballot at the last training session works well, because the people who packed down alongside each other know who held the scrum together. Whichever way you go, agree the method before the season ends so nobody feels the award was decided in the bar.
What to print on a forward's award
Line one carries the title, FORWARD OF THE SEASON fits comfortably. Line two is the club name, and line three is the player's name. Some clubs add the position after the name, such as Loosehead Prop or Number 8, which is a nice touch for a player who has made that shirt their own.
Line four is a good place for the team and season, for example 2nd XV 2025/26. If your women's and men's sides both pick a best forward, keep the wording identical apart from that bottom line so the awards look like a matching set.
Pairing it with back of the season
Forward of the season almost always has a partner award for the backs, and the two are presented one after the other. Order both in the same size so neither looks like the lesser honour; most clubs choose Small at £8.99 each for team-level awards.
If the club also gives a 1st XV players' player or a clubman of the year, those are the natural candidates for the Large portrait block at £13.99. Mixing sizes in one order is no problem, and the crest only needs uploading once.
Good to know
Questions
Can we add the player's position to a forward of the season award?
Yes. There are up to four lines of text, so you can put the position on the same line as the name, such as J Carter, Tighthead Prop, or use line four for it if you would rather leave the season off. Keep it short so the text stays a comfortable size.
We have three senior sides. Do they each need a separate design?
You keep the same crest and title and just change the name and team line for each. After the first design you can add more names without uploading the crest again, or paste a list of winners for the 1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XV in one go.
Is forward of the season the same as pack player of the year?
They mean the same thing at most clubs, so use whatever your club has always called it. Some prefer PACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR because it sounds less formal, and either fits on line one of the award.
What is the minimum order?
The minimum is five awards, and they can be any mix of Small at £8.99 and Large at £13.99, with different names and titles. Delivery is a flat £10.00 per order, so ordering forward and back awards together with your other honours makes sense.
Keep exploring
Related awards
Club secretaries
Ordering for the whole club?
Finish one design, then reuse the same crest with a new name. Or paste a list of names and add every award in one go. Whatever the number of awards, there is one delivery charge per order.
Ordering for a club