URC Awards

Chris Smith, Ben Carter, Quan Horn, Evan Roos and Jack Walsh have added their names to the United Rugby Championship Awards roll of honour by collecting the Gilbert Golden Boot, IPVanish Tackle Machine, Ironman, OFX Top Try Scorer, and Playmaker prizes respectively.

They become the first award winners of the 2025/26 season as we celebrate the league’s best in class ahead of the Semi-Finals, with the Elite XV, Next-Gen Player of the Season, Innovation Award, Try of the Season powered by URC.tv, South African Vodacom URC Player of the Season, BKT Coach of the Season, and Players’ Player of the Season winners all set to be announced this week.

A breakdown of the winners so far:

Gilbert Golden Boot | Chris Smith - Lions

It’s a case of practice makes perfect for Chris Smith - the winner of the Gilbert Golden Boot Award for a second time.

The Fidelity SecureDrive Lions fly-half has secured the prize by kicking more points than anyone else in the regular league season, racking up 149 in all - made up of 17 penalties and 49 conversions.

That saw him finish clear of his nearest rival, DHL Stormers star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who kicked 113 points.

For Smith - who also won the Gilbert Golden Boot award in 2024 when he was with the Vodacom Bulls - it’s reward for all the hours he puts in on the training field.

“You do really have to put the work in,” said the 31-year-old marksman.

“It’s a daily work-on and you have to focus on the small things and the detail to be able to kick at a good percentage.

“There’s no specific number of kicks or routine that I do every single week. I probably go more on feeling than I want to kick 100 kicks this week.

“I focus on rhythm and build it up towards the game. If I feel really good and have hit some good ones, then I will stop.”

Smith is also quick to acknowledge the debt of gratitude he owes to his kicking coach at the Lions - former Springboks great Morne Steyn.

“You honestly couldn’t have a much better mentor. He’s probably one of the best ball strikers the game has ever seen. He ranks right up there,” he said.

“To be able to learn from him has been priceless. That’s been quite special.”

IPVanish Tackle Machine | Ben Carter - Dragons

Wales star Ben Carter has rounded off a big season by picking up the IPVanish Tackle Machine award.

The prize goes to the player with the highest percentage accuracy among those who made 150-plus tackles during the regular season.

Dragons RFC second row Carter finished top of that list with a 97.6 per cent return. It’s been a campaign to remember for the 25-year-old.

He’s established himself as a first-choice lock for Wales, starting the last three games in the Guinness Six Nations and sharing in the much-needed win over Italy on the final weekend.

He’s also played a key part in the Dragons having a much-improved season, helping them increase their points tally in the BKT URC by 19 and reach the Semi-Final of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

It’s been all the sweeter for Carter given the injury issues he has been through in recent years.

In October 2024, he suffered serious knee damage while training with the Welsh squad which meant surgery and a six month lay-off.

Then, after waiting a year to return to the international arena, his comeback lasted just 27 seconds as he sustained an alarming head injury in the opening minute of Wales’ first Test on tour against Japan last summer.

Now that’s all behind him with his huge work-rate - epitomised by his defensive stats - making him such a valuable asset.

He was pushed hard for this award by his Dragons team-mate Harry Beddall, with Ospreys flanker Harri Deaves and Benetton Rugby’s Alessandro Izekor other strong performers in the category.

Ironman | Quan Horn - Lions

Just like his Lions colleague Chris Smith, Quan Horn is now a two-time award winner. It was back in 2023 that the full-back first received the Ironman prize which is given to the player who has racked up the most minutes in the regular BKT URC season.

Now Mr Consistent has done it again and he even surpassed his previous best.

During the 2022-23 season, he was on the field for 1,428 minutes as he started all 18 games.

This time around, he took the term ever present to a new level as he posted a tally of 1,440 minutes played - meaning he didn’t miss a single minute of the season!

It’s been a remarkable effort from the 24-year-old Springbok who says: “As a player, being part of the match-day 23 ignites confidence knowing you are backed week-in and week-out.”

A word too for DHL Stormers wing Leolin Zas who was just ten minutes behind Horn having also started every regular season game in the league.

OFX Top Try Scorer | Evan Roos - Stormers

Evan Roos has been dubbed an “old school” character who just enjoys playing rugby - and what he’s particularly enjoyed doing this season is scoring tries.

The DHL Stormers No 8 finished the regular BKT URC campaign as the leading try scorer in the competition, having touched down 12 times.

He ended up one clear of Ulster Rugby winger Zac Ward and two above Ward’s team-mate Werner Kok and Connacht Rugby No 8 Sean Jansen.

That sees Springbok Roos receive the OFX Top Try Scorer award, following in the footsteps of two hookers - Ulster’s Tom Stewart (2023) and Glasgow Warriors’ Johnny Matthews (2024) - and Cardiff Rugby Harri Millard (2025).

The 26-year-old set the tone for what was to come by crossing twice in the opening game of the BKT URC season against Leinster Rugby while there was to be another double versus Edinburgh Rugby in March.

His table-topping tally also included tries against Ospreys, Scarlets, Fidelity SecureDrive Lions, Vodacom Bulls, Dragons RFC, Connacht, Glasgow Warriors and Ulster.

If that wasn’t enough, he touched down twice in the Investec Champions Cup and crossed the whitewash for the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV in November.

That makes a grand total of 15 tries for the season in all matches, which is some haul.

Giving his thoughts on Roos’ prolific finishing, DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said: “He’s very fast and he also runs good support lines.

“He’s just a kid who enjoys rugby. He just wants the ball in his hands, he wants to play, he wants to tackle people.

“He’s like an old school rugby player. He’s ‘Yes coach, no coach, sorry coach, what do you want coach?’

“I think if rugby was an amateur sport, he’d still be playing exactly the same.

“He’s like a kid. He’s got humour, he giggles, he contributes, he’s fantastic. I love him.”

As for the man himself, eight-cap Springbok Roos confirms how much he relishes his rugby role.

“I am just enjoying it. It’s fun. The tries are just a nice bonus for me,” he said.

Playmaker | Jack Walsh - Ospreys

  

Jack Walsh has signed off from the Ospreys and the BKT URC by winning the league’s Playmaker Award.

After four years with the Welsh region, he is leaving to join French club Montauban. Departing with the Playmaker Award illustrates just what a game-breaking impact the USA-born, Aussie-raised utility back has had since arriving from Exeter in 2022.

The prize recognises creativity, with three key metrics used to decide the winner - try assists, defenders beaten and successfully completed offloads.

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones said: “I didn’t know anything about Jack until I arrived here.

“He was a pretty young player at the time, in his early 20s. His appetite to get better and his thirst to improve as an individual was pretty evident from day one.

“He’s been a consummate professional. His preparation is top drawer, while his work ethic, both on and off the field, to make sure he was maximising his time has also been evident. That’s why we’ve seen the improvement in his all round game, both as a 15 and as a 10.

“He’s tough, if you look at how durable he is, and he’s very skilful. He's made big progress.

“We are obviously disappointed that we can’t keep him in the building, but I fully understand his reasons why. He’s got a great opportunity to move overseas to a great climate with a team that’s recruiting pretty heavily.

“He’s an Australian and they like to travel and see the world. I wish him all the best and I am sure he will do a great job for Montauban.”

Other strong contenders for the Playmaker Award included Ulster Rugby’s Jacob Stockdale and the ubiquitous Quan Horn.

URC Awards Winners 2025-26

Gilbert Golden Boot: Chris Smith (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)

IPVanish Tackle Machine: Ben Carter (Dragons RFC)

Ironman: Quan Horn (Fidelity SecureDrive Lions)

OFX Top Try Scorer: Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)

Playmaker: Jack Walsh (Ospreys)