Chase Named Man of Steel
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October 4, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Rangi Chase has been named the 2011 Man of Steel and is the second New Zealander to win the award.
Rugby League player Rangi Chase, who has been in Britain for the last three seasons, was voted by his peers as the 2011 Man of Steel on Monday.
Chase, the 25-year-old stand off, won this award ahead of players such as Sam Tomkins and James Roby, and is the third consecutive overseas player to win this prestigious award.
The New Zealander is the first person to win this award from a team which has not qualified for the Grand final play offs and the first player from a team in the top eight to win it in 28 years. This highlights how big an achievement this is for Chase and how well he has played this year.
Jonny Lomax, a St Helens scrum-half, was also named young player of the year, and Trent Robinson, the Catalans Dragons coach, was named coach of the year.
The news of this award is not the only reason for Chase’s prominence in the media recently, as he has also switched allegiances and has made himself available to play for England. The super-league star, who was born in Wangaui, told England coach Steve McNamara that he is available to play against the Kiwis in the Gillette Four Nations series.
The switch has come under a great deal of criticism because he has played against England for the New Zealand Maori and has had caps for the Kiwis at younger age grade levels
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to represent the country I call home. As a little kid I would have liked to play for New Zealand, but I haven’t lived there for 10 years now. I’ve never felt as comfortable in my life as I do here,” Chase said.
By Jonathan Davies
[Image courtesy of paddynapper]
