Big names in mix for Player of the Year honour

British & Irish Lions stars Brian O’Driscoll, Jamie Heaslip and Tom Croft are set to renew their rivalry with South Africa’s Fourie du Preez and Frans Steyn in the battle for the International Rugby Board Player of the Year award.

The quintet join Australia’s Matt Giteau and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw on the shortlist for the prestigious honour that will be announced along with the IRB Coach of the Year and IRB Team of the Year at the conclusion of the November Tests.

“The IRB Player of the Year Award is the ultimate accolade for a player and takes into account performances in all internationals played during the year, including the Six Nations, British & Irish Lions Test Series, Tri Nations and the June and November Tests,” said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“The list of past winners includes the iconic names of the decade - Jonny Wilkinson, Schalk Burger, Richie McCaw, Fabien Galthié, Dan Carter, Bryan Habana and Keith Wood have all been worthy recipients of the Award. Richie McCaw could become the first player to receive the accolade twice.”

The nominees were selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales watched over 60 hours of action from 46 matches, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match.

“Now that the shortlist has been selected the panel will reconvene at the completion of the November tests when the IRB Player of the Year will be selected. The announcement will be made at the conclusion of the final weekend of matches,” added Lapasset.

The Player of the Year Award is the sixth of the 13 coveted IRB Awards to be presented in 2009. In May, England captain Ollie Phillips was named IRB Sevens Player of the Year, while New Zealand captain Aaron Cruden was named IRB Junior Player of the Year in June. Australia’s Debby Hodgkinson was named IRB Women’s Personality of the Year in August and L’Aquilla Rugby Club received the Spirit of Rugby Award in September. This month, Francis Palmade received the IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service.

More to follow.

Previous Winners:
2001 - Keith Wood
2002 - Fabien Galthié
2003 - Jonny Wilkinson
2004 - Schalk Burger
2005 - Dan Carter
2006 - Richie McCaw
2007 - Bryan Habanna
2008 - Shane Williams(source)