A pair of Brumbies have taken out Australian rugby’s top gongs, with both Len Ikitau and Tabua Tuinakauvadra recognised on an historic night for the club at the Rugby Australia Awards in Sydney.
Ikitau, currently on sabbatical with Exeter in the English Premiership, became the first centre to be awarded the John Eales medal as the Wallabies Player of the Year. The 27-year-old enjoyed a stellar twelve months for both club and country, with the award coming months after a season in which Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham labelled Ikitau “the best defensive centre in the world”.
It was his work in attack, however, that will be forever entrenched in the memories of Wallabies fans. His flick pass in the lead up to Max Jorgenson’s try at Twickenham – one which earned him the nickname Len ‘Flickitau’ – proved a famous moment in Wallaby history.
Although the award is recognition of his work in the gold jersey, Ikitau proved one of the Brumbies’ best in 2025, highlighted by his Round 5 hat-trick at home against the Drua. His win also means that the last three John Eales medals have been collected by Brumbies players, with Rob Valetini winning back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.
Ikitau’s achievement is made all-the-more remarkable by the fact that 2025 saw him shift from his usual position at outside centre, where he stars for the Brumbies, to the inside channel.
“It’s been an awesome journey. This is probably one of the best years that I’ve enjoyed in the Wallabies jersey, in terms of the way we’ve been playing. You know, the way that we want to play. It’s just been exciting.”
Ikitau wasn’t the only Brumby to taste success, with Tuinakauvadra becoming the youngest ever Wallaroos Player of the Year at the age of 22. Tuinakauvadra – who finished second in last year’s count – became the first backrower to take out the award since 2019. The award has extra meaning, given it was a Women’s Rugby World Cup season. The Orange-born powerhouse proved a shining light for the Brumbies Women in an otherwise difficult season.
Despite her young age, Tuinakauvadra boasts maturity beyond her years, as evidenced by her acceptance speech.
"I think not only the little girls and boys that are watching, but also the women that are aspiring to put themselves out there and try something new or be a part of something that can uplift them and challenge themselves to put themselves in an area where they're not exactly comfortable," she explained.
"I think rugby is the perfect space where you can do that. No matter the age, no matter the skill level, you can see this World Cup that we just played in...you can do whatever you want.
"You can join the local rugby team, you can play in a team that's majority boys, you can play in a team that won't have many round games because of participation, and that's fine, but it's for the love of the game and it's for the bigger picture."
