The Rhino Collision Kings Award is awarded each year to the team in the RaboDirect PRO12 which has shown most improvement at the breakdown throughout the regular season.
The trophy is a replica of the groundbreaking Collision King machine invented by Richie Gray, Rhino skills consultant and brand ambassador who was recently appointed breakdown coach to the Springboks through to next year’s World Cup.
The selection panel for the Award is chaired by Galashiels-based Gray, who in addition to other duties has been a BBC Radio Scotland commentator throughout much of the PRO12 season.
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This year the three teams on the shortlist for the Award are Glasgow Warriors, Connacht and Benetton Treviso.
Gray said: “The Warriors have continued to maintain the form at the breakdown that has underpinned a great deal of their success in recent years.”
“Both Connacht and Benetton Treviso have however shown tremendous improvement in this vitally important phase of the game throughout the season, and this again has been a big factor in some outstanding performances from these two sides.”
The Rhino Collision Kings Award was won in 2011-12 by Glasgow Warriors and in 2012-13 by the Scarlets.
Together with the Rhino Golden Boot Award for the competition’s leading goalkicker, it will be presented at the RaboDirect PRO12 Awards on May 11 in Edinburgh.
Richie Gray presents the Award in 2012 to Sean Lineen of the Glasgow Warriors