For the second year running Dove Men+Care worked with BBC pundit Jonathan Davies to pull together an initial shortlist which this year included Rhys Webb, Samson Lee and Dan Biggar. The ultimate decision was left to the Welsh rugby supporters who have been voting via @dovemen and the Official WRU Facebook and the Ospreys fly-half has received the largest proportion of votes.
Biggar put in three great performances over the Dove Men Series, and was rewarded the Dove Men+Care Man of the Match in their final clash against South Africa. His kicking from hand was hailed as exemplary, his defensive contribution second to none and he remained calm throughout all anxious moments that Wales faced.
Upon receiving the award, a delighted Biggar said: “It’s a huge honour to be nominated and to have won but I have to say it feels like a team award for the effort the whole squad put into this campaign. It is a massive honour to have been voted by the public and to collect this award but it is all about the team effort.”
“Having taken a bit of time to look back, it was a huge Dove Men Series for us. There is nowhere better to play than the Millennium Stadium and the whole country was buzzing in the build up to the internationals and around the games and it was fantastic.”
“We put in a lot of work throughout November, making sure we pushed our standards. Playing a lot of rugby throughout the year, we don’t get an awful lot of time to do top up work so the first couple of weeks in camp were hugely important. It was pretty tough going, a lot of six o’clock sessions in the morning but that’s all in the bank fitness wise. Leading into next year, this combined with the spirits being up after the win can only put us in a better place.”
In recognition of the award, Dove Men+Care have pledged to make a donation to a charity of the player’s choice; Dan has decided to donate this money to the #StayStrongForOws campaign, supporting injured team-mate Owen Williams.
Dove Men+Care Brand Manager, Callum Galloway said “As title sponsors of the Dove Men Series and proud supporter of the Welsh Rugby Union, we are thrilled to be able to show our support to those players who consistently perform at the highest level for their country. We were delighted with the nation’s selection of Dan Biggar as he is a well-deserved winner of the 2014 Man of the Series Award.”
Jonathan Davies added, “Dan Biggar has performed exceptionally well over the course of the Dove Men Series and I am delighted that Dove Men+Care are presenting him with this award. He has worked really hard across the past few years to improve his game and has really stated a strong case to be Wales’ number 10 for the year ahead.”
Dan Biggar now looks to regain focus to concentrate on the Opsreys’ battles in the European Champions Cup and the Guinness PRO12.
“It’s straight back into a tough couple of weeks with the Ospreys. We have back-to-back games against Racing Metro and then the same against the Scarlets.
“This weekend will feel like a fifth international and it is going to be good catching up with some of the Welsh boys and playing against them. It will be a little bit different lining up with them as opposition but we are all looking forward to it. We’re conscious of the challenge ahead, but we also know we have to win if we have any chance of progressing so fingers crossed we can put in a good performance and carry the momentum across.”
