England lock Simon Shaw won the special merit award for his contribution to the game and Bill McLaren was posthumously inducted into the RPA Hall of Fame. Andy Ripley, the former England international, received the Blyth Spirit Award for his outstanding courage in the face of adversity.

Ripley was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005, since when he has worked closely with the Prostate Cancer Charity to raise awareness of the disease and encourage men to get tested as a preventative measure. After three years in remission, his cancer returned in 2008.