IRB Media Release - New Zealand number 8 Kieran Read has been named the IRB Player of the Year 2013, the third Kiwi to win the prestigious award. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic year in the heart of the All Blacks’ pack and played no small part in ensuring his team went through 2013 with a perfect record. His influence has been huge, as demonstrated by his workload in the scrum, lineout, his tackling, his ability to compete in the air and at the breakdown, not to mention the tendency to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to creating or scoring tries. He has played 61 Tests for New Zealand, the majority of them in the back row alongside Richie McCaw, and is now the most prolific try-scoring number 8 in world Rugby. Read is the third New Zealander to be named IRB Player of the Year, following in the footstep