Ulsterhooker Tom Stewart has landed an awards double after being named UnitedRugby Championship’s Next-Gen Player of the Season for 2022/23 awards.

This accolade is open only to players agedunder 23 at the start of the season and who have earned no more than fiveinternational caps at that point, with a media panel voting for thewinner. 

Players are also required to have made aminimum of nine Vodacom URC appearances to qualify.

Stewart, 22, claimed the first trophy to behanded out when receiving the OFX Top Try Scorer award having crossed arecord-breaking 16 times this season.

It surpassed the feat achieved by Tim Visser(Edinburgh, 2010/11) and Rabz Maxwane (Cheetahs, 2018/19) by two tries.

Stewart has now followed that up by taking theNext-Gen prize having also finished in the top 15 in the league for points,carries, lineout steals and tackles.

His performances this season saw him calledinto the Ireland squad for the Guinness Six Nations as injury cover, althoughhe is yet to win his first cap.

Ulster coach Dan McFarland has been full ofpraise for Stewart’s achievements this term.

He said: “Tom’s been brilliant. There is askill to scoring tries off the back of a maul. Some of them are pretty easy butsome of them are pretty difficult and he’s worked hard for that.

“People think it’s just about dotting themdown but you need to read the timing when to break out of the back. He’s got alot of decision-making to do and there’s a lot of skill in the execution.”

URCAwards 2022-23

OFX TopTry Scorer: Tom Stewart (Ulster)

TackleMachine: John Hodnett (Munster)

TurnoverKing: Thomas Young (Cardiff Rugby)

Next-GenPlayer of the Season: Tom Stewart (Ulster)