Zebre Parma’s Massimo Brunello has been named BKT Coach of the Season, with Leinster Rugby’s RG Snyman named Players’ Player of the Season, bringing the curtain down on the 2024-25 URC Awards.
The BKT Coach of the Season is voted for by the league’s head coaches, with Brunello receiving the recognition from his peers.
Similarly, the prestigious Players’ Player of the Season award was voted on by the Captain and Vice-Captain of all 16 teams, with all nominees again required to have made a minimum of nine appearances.
BKT Coach of the Season: Massimo Brunello (Zebre Parma)
Brunello has transformed Zebre Parma this season, leading them to victories over Munster, Ospreys and Dragons at home, as well as famous away wins against Ulster and Edinburgh. Their away against Ulster ended a four-year wait for a victory on road, and was backed up the following week with another win away against Edinburgh.
One of his fellow coaches said: “Massimo made Zebre even more competitive this season with some impressive wins on the road. These results made qualification for the top eight interesting until late in the competition.”
Previous winners of this award include Graham Rowntree last season, and Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith back in 2022-23.
Lucia Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe said: “Massimo has done a wonderful job this season with Zebre Parma, guiding them to some famous wins against tough opposition. He has demonstrated excellent leadership in his first season at the helm, creating history with Zebre’s first away win in four years. In creating a custom ring for him as the BKT Coach of the Season, we want this achievement to live long in the memory.
After their best season in the #URC era, the @BKTTires Coach of the Season Award goes to… @ZebreParma’s Massimo Brunello 👏#URCAwards #BKTCoachOfTheSeason pic.twitter.com/W0mkXG0o6G
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 6, 2025
Congratulations to Massimo on his fantastic work this season and we wish him all the best in the future.”
Players’ Player of the Season: RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby)
RG Snyman’s “X-Factor” has been lauded as a key reason he’s been named as the 2024/25 Players’ Player of the Season by his peers.
Snyman has been a key figure for Leinster this season following his switch from rivals Munster over the summer. The towering lock helped his side to the top of the table in the regular season, with his offload game in particular being pivotal to the Irish province.
One fellow player applauded his “unique skillset” – branding him a “very tough” opponent. “A threat all over the park. Strong in the set-piece and has a unique skillset which makes him very tough to play against.”
Previous winners of this award include Munster’s Jack Crowley last season, Leinster’s Dan Sheehan back in 2022-23, and DHL Stormers forward Evan Roos in 2021-22.
URC Awards Winners 2024-25
Gilbert Golden Boot: Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets)
OFX Top Try Scorer: Harri Millard (Cardiff Rugby)
Tackle Machine: Ruben van Heerden (DHL Stormers)
Ironman: Cam Winnett (Cardiff Rugby)
Playmaker: Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby)
Elite XV: Jamie Osborne (Leinster Rugby), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Craig Casey (Munster Rugby), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby), Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls)
Next-Gen Player of the Season: Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls)
Innovation Award: Hollywoodbets Sharks
Try of the Season Powered by URC.tv: Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers)
South African Vodacom URC Player of the Season: Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
BKT Coach of the Season: Massimo Brunello (Zebre Parma)
Players’ Player of the Season: RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby)
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: RG Snyman has been named the Players' Player of the Season 🪓
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 6, 2025
The Leinster lock has been crucial in their run to making the semifinals of the tournament.#URCAwards | #VURC pic.twitter.com/3JmYAhUjjK