HOOKER Richard Hibbard has been voted Wales' man of the series after the Autumn internationals.

After an initial shortlist of Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Hibbard had been drawn up by BBC pundit Jonathan Davies, the ultimate decision was left to the Welsh rugby supporters.

The Welsh public have been voting in their thousands on Twitter via series sponsors @dovemen and on the official WRU Facebook and Twitter pages and despite both Halfpenny and North running him close, the Ospreys hooker received the largest proportion of votes.

Building on a blistering RBS 6Nations and British and Irish Lions Tour, Hibbard put in three eye-catching performances against South Africa, Argentina and Australia.

His aggressive ball carrying, strong scrummaging and crunching tackles – most notably his big hit on Australia captain, Ben Mowen, just metres from the try line – have been second to none.

A delighted Hibbard said: "It's a massive honour receiving this award, especially as it was voted for by the public. It makes all the bumps and bruises even more worth it now!

"It was a tough series but we know how close we are to the world's top teams.”

In recognition of the award, Dove Men+Care have pledged to make a donation of £1,000 to a charity of the player's choice, in addition to £1,000 that they have already committed to Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff where former Wales captain Matthew Rees is currently undergoing extensive treatment.

Hibbard has decided to award the money to two causes very close to him, Tywyn Primary School and S.N.A.C Special Needs Activity Centre.

Jonathan Davies added: "Richard Hibbard has performed exceptionally well over the course of the series and I am delighted that Dove Men+Care are presenting him with this award and contributing a generous amount to the Velindre Cancer Centre, a very worthwhile cause of which I am president."