IRB Player of the year

Simple question, who will it be this year? If not McCaw then who else might be in contention?

Richard McCaw having lead the ABs to victory in the inaugural RC, including a 17 match undefeated streak and probably an AI whitewash is once again the front runner for the annual prize having been piped to the finish by the incredible Thierry Dusatoir last year. He was also the only nominee from the NH last year.

Other outstanding performers for the ABs this year include Cory Jane, Kieran Reid, Dan Carter and Israel Dagg. Personally I think Dagg has been a revelation and probably shades Rob Kearney as the best full back in world rugby.

Bryan Habana (SA) and Lobbe (ARG) both preformed well in the RC. Habanna being the RC top try scorer and Lobbe did a good job as captain of Argentina in a very respectable performance and draw v SA in their first ever RC and a win over Wales in Cardiff.

Australia, England, Ireland and Scotland have no real stand out contenders although Rob Kearney was named ERC player of the year he has been injured for the whole AIs and summer tour and therefore is surely not in contention.

From France Julien Malzieu had a very good six nations but France have been hot and cold in 2012 so it is hard to pick any stand out performers. Personally I think Wesley Fofana has been impressive and 2013 may be his year.

From Wales Dan Lydiate was named six nations player of the tournament, Cuthbert, North and halfpenny were all also outstanding. However, it is unlikely to be a Welsh player given their summer tour and AI record has been quite poor.

Other facts:
BOD is the only player to get three nominations and not to win the award.
No Australian has ever won player of the year.
Ireland is the most nominated NH country.
Mike Blair is the only Scot to have been nominated.
Keith Wood is the only non back row or back to have won the award.
Jan Serfontein beat off Irelands JJ Hanrahan to win 2012 young player of the year.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-sport-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502180&objectid=10850176
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRB_International_Player_of_the_Year

I'd personally give it to Lobbe... he's been immense in a good but limited team. The leadership has been outstanding from day 1.

There are the usual suspects from NZ but for me Lobbe is standout.

Yeah Lobbe is almost certainly going to be nominated.

Lydiate may get a nomination but the 6N is all but a distant memory now..... perhaps its a little unfair on the 6N sides with the RC/3N always at the important tail end.

Other than that has any NH player stood out? Doubtful.

BOD was unlucky not to get it in 09... then again so was Du Preez. I would say BOD has been a better player then say Williams but Williams had an amazing 08 season and after all its an award for the world's best player of the last 12 months.

Ritchie McCaw.... simply the greatest...nothing else to see here....

Well he didn't deserve it in 09... still got it though.

Got to be Richie McCaw - no one has even come close this year. Not just his abilities as captain and leader, but his individual performances have been incredible - streets ahead of any other 7

credit should be given where it is due, personally I find the selection committee a little bit of a boys club.

In 09 PDV should have won coach of the year. He had the best year a coach could have ..... lions series, 5 out of 6 3N victories inc. 2 vs. NZ.

Yet Kidney and his 6N side got the nod instead.

Why, geniuine belief or a slap down of PDV as 'he was never a proper coach anyhow'.

Same with Dasautoir winning world player of the year last year. A little pathetic.

fa0019 wrote:Well he didn't deserve it in 09... still got it though.

That's OK, he deserved it in 08 and didn't get it

fa0019 wrote:credit should be given where it is due, personally I find the selection committee a little bit of a boys club.

In 09 PDV should have won coach of the year. He had the best year a coach could have ..... lions series, 5 out of 6 3N victories inc. 2 vs. NZ.

Yet Kidney and his 6N side got the nod instead.

Why, geniuine belief or a slap down of PDV as 'he was never a proper coach anyhow'.

Same with Dasautoir winning world player of the year last year. A little pathetic.

Kidney's side was unbeaten in '09 and they won their first slam in 50 years which is why he got the award. PDiv's team may have won bigger spoils but relative to the teams they managed and their contrasting levels of sucess over the last 50 years Kidney's achievements were just as notable that year.

They would have given it to Frank Hadden before they gave it to PDV.

His side went from bottom in the 3N in 08 to being the dominant side in the world... nearly unbeatable.

Credit where it is due.... Kidney did well... but it wasn't out of the ordinary given IRE already established talent.

fa0019 wrote:They would have given it to Frank Hadden before they gave it to PDV.

His side went from bottom in the 3N in 08 to being the dominant side in the world... nearly unbeatable.

Credit where it is due.... Kidney did well... but it wasn't out of the ordinary given IRE already established talent.

PDiv inherited a world cup winning side. I totally agree he is sometimes under rated but he did also have already established talent and a team who had recently won the tri nations and world cup. Ireland really hadnt won anything and had never finished a year unbeaten before.

Yeah Dusautoir was a head scratcher. Kudos for the best performance of the season in the biggest game of all but thought others had better shouts, and not just Kiwis either from my vague recollection.

Yeah by some measure of ridiculous karma McCaw has the number of Player of the Year awards he deserves. He should get it this year too. Hopefully he'll be accepting the award on Skype in an internet cafe in the middle of bumblef**k then can get on with forgetting about rugby for a while.

Yes PDV inherited a world cup winning side but it was quite different in 07 to the one he used in 09... there were 7 different starters from the RWC final and the 1st Lions test as an example. Thats quite a lot.

He won 7 out of 9 tests vs. the Lions, NZ and AUS and if the 3rd Lions test had been important they probably would have won that too. In any year thats pretty amazing regardless of how well Kidney did.... (the pedigree just isn't comparable).

Its not saying Kidney isn't deserving.... but you still have a gut feeling that PDV wouldn't have won regardless... people saw him as a joke figure regardless of the achievements he made.

2011: Thierry Dusautoir France
2010: Richie McCaw New Zealand
2009: Richie McCaw New Zealand
2008: Shane Williams (Wales)
2007: Bryan Habana (South Africa)
2006: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2005: Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
2004: Schalk Burger (South Africa)
2003: Jonny Wilkinson (England)
2002: Fabien Galthié (France)
2001: Keith Wood (Ireland)


It's really there for McCaw to win it for his 4th time.
South Africa and Australia have struggled this year.
England is going through change.
France don't really have that stand out player from this year.
Ireland have been poor.
Wales did have a grand slam but the AIs haven't really gone well for any of their players.
Scotland and Italy.......

thebandwagonsociety wrote:
It's really there for McCaw to win it for his 4th time.
South Africa and Australia have struggled this year.
England is going through change.
France don't really have that stand out player from this year.
Ireland have been poor.
Wales did have a grand slam but the AIs haven't really gone well for any of their players.
Scotland and Italy.......

How come other Ireland, Australia and SA have been poor or struggled....but England are simply going through change?.......

It is interesting that based on the positions winning player of the year awards, props, second rows, centres and fullbacks aren't important.

outhalfs and flankers are the glamour positions.

I would also have thought that back in the beginning Galthie and Wood were as much lifetime awards as for that particular season.

rodders wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:
It's really there for McCaw to win it for his 4th time.
South Africa and Australia have struggled this year.
England is going through change.
France don't really have that stand out player from this year.
Ireland have been poor.
Wales did have a grand slam but the AIs haven't really gone well for any of their players.
Scotland and Italy.......

How come other Ireland, Australia and SA have been poor or struggled....but England are simply going through change?.......

Just trying to make a conscious effort not to be too negative on England, they still managed second in the last 6Ns.

Kieran Read

Dagg almost as good as Kearney?????????????

LOL

Dagg is far better than Kearney by a country and nautical mile!

tigertattie wrote:Dagg almost as good as Kearney?????????????

LOL

Dagg is far better than Kearney by a country and nautical mile!

I think you'll find I said Dagg was better than Kearney. Last season Kearney was the best fullback in world rugby and won ERC player of the year. His performances for Ireland and Leinster at 15 were outstanding. Therefore no Dagg is not better than Kearney by a country and nautical mile, Kearney has just been off your radar because he has been injured for most of the year.

In fairness Kearney was fairly pants down in NZ in the summer and if I was a Kiwi quite frankly I wouldn't really care too much about ERC player of the year, Heino cups, 6N or any other quaint traditions we have up here.......

rodders wrote:In fairness Kearney was fairly pants down in NZ in the summer and if I was a Kiwi quite frankly I wouldn't really care too much about ERC player of the year, Heino cups, 6N or any other quaint traditions we have up here.......

Hmmm I diagnose signs of Stockholm Syndrome and getting down with the natives.

Worrying.

Don't you be dissing Muse as worrying. Stockholm Syndrome is one of my favourite songs.

Ritchie's got my vote!

Keiran Read for me

McCaw. Carter or Lobbe

In 2010 Kearney or Heaslip probably could have won it, but I'm not sure if they were shortlisted.

I think the obvious candidates are Richie McCaw, Keiran Reid and perhaps Digby Iaone and Berrick Barnes. McCaw should win. What an outstanding, world class player. Simply a legend.

McCaw, Read and Dagg of the NZers in that order for me. Be surprised if Dagg doesnt get a nomination. Did everything this year with hardly a mistake I can think of. Can't think what else a fullback has to do to be honest. Probably the best open runner, linebreaker in tests this year and still supreme under the high ball. Defensively has smothered tries and just gets into everything.

Of the overseas the best for me Alberts and Habana and definitely the way Nathan Sharpe stood up.

McCaw to get it though...

I cant see past McCaw myself. Simply another brilliant year for him.

Strange how certain positions come up for this award. Wonder if any props have ever won. They either seem to be back rowers or backs in positions that make them stand out. It always surprises me that when a player like Conrad Smith is out of the team, we all lament his loss and yet when we look at these awards his name never seems to get a mention.

Got no problem with the names being thrown about by the posters on this thread. Just saying it's difficult to make a decision where everybody is happy.

One other name I'll throw into the mix because I haven't seen him come up often is Nathan Sharpe. Decided to stay on to help out his Wallabies and was their most consistent performer all year. Shows this age thing doesn't mean all that much if your head is in the right place.

Mentioned Sharpe above Kia. I hear you with Conrad Smith as well.

Easily the best Centre in the world but still behind McCaw Reade and Dagg for me as performers this year. Its just confirming the class there at he moment.

Its hard to pick other players as they get mentioned when they shine elsewhere. If they dont shine against the ABs then I cant rate them as best in the world.

Players mentioned- Ioane, Kearney etc didnt impress at all when they played us, so the conclusion is they cant be the worlds best.

Playing for losing sides probably isnt their fault but nor is it a basis for selection of this trophy. The winner must come from the ABs this year- as they havnt lost a match. Luckily for our incumbants, they dont have to play the ABs.

Kind of what I used to say about Hadlee- his downfall was that he never got to take wickets off NZ like everyone else did- he would have got a lot more.

Tommy Bowe!..... oops sorry wrong thread...

McCaw, Lobbe or Read.

Probably McCaw. No player in the NH has stood out at all. McCaw deserves it but franky little competition this time from outside his own team!

Surely Donald Duck will not be in the running, despite putting down the bucket of whitebait long enough to kick the winning RWC final goals.

George Carlin wrote:Surely Donald Duck will not be in the running, despite putting down the bucket of whitebait long enough to kick the winning RWC final goals.

The RWC was last year - Dusatoir won.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Strange how certain positions come up for this award. Wonder if any props have ever won. They either seem to be back rowers or backs in positions that make them stand out. It always surprises me that when a player like Conrad Smith is out of the team, we all lament his loss and yet when we look at these awards his name never seems to get a mention.

Got no problem with the names being thrown about by the posters on this thread. Just saying it's difficult to make a decision where everybody is happy.

One other name I'll throw into the mix because I haven't seen him come up often is Nathan Sharpe. Decided to stay on to help out his Wallabies and was their most consistent performer all year. Shows this age thing doesn't mean all that much if your head is in the right place.

Totally agree.
No prop has ever won the award
No second row has ever won the award
Keith Wood is the only hooker to have won it (in it's first year)
Galthie is the only scrum half to ever win it (was that his retirement year, a bit of nostalgia maybe?)
A dedicated centre hasn't won it
Outhalf has won a couple of times (Carter, Wilkinson)
A dedicated full back hasn't won it
Wingers have won it a couple of times (Habana, ickle Shane)
Flanker position has dominated really (and McCaw is the best in that position)

Keith Wood probably won it as well not for his hooking duties but probably caught the eye more for his Energiser Bunny running in the loose.

Being a captain doesn't hurt your chances but is this because your captain is your best player in theory or at least the first name on the team sheet because of his prowess as a player rather than because he is a natural born leader (sometimes it's not even this with teams!)?

I think you need to be an impact player or at least play in an impact position. Backrow forward tend to stand out for that reason - I thought Kaino was last year's most consistent performer and nobody would've objected too much if he had got it because he didn't have injury problems and played every World Cup game - and wingers and flyhalves for the same reason.

So the whole thing is tilted towards that from the start so I don't think it's to be taken too seriously. I'm sure Richie McCaw much prefers the trophies to this individual honour.

wales606 wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Surely Donald Duck will not be in the running, despite putting down the bucket of whitebait long enough to kick the winning RWC final goals.

The RWC was last year - Dusatoir won.

Fair point and well made. Forgot it was calendar years.

Would like to see Conrad Smith or SBW win it. It's been a year for the backs and not the forwards, I think.

Carter should win it but my missus fancies him so there's no way I'd vote for that fecker.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Keith Wood probably won it as well not for his hooking duties but probably caught the eye more for his Energiser Bunny running in the loose.

.

I thought it was for his standing up to Hewitt and the haka. Still my biggest memory of Wood!

Nominees are:

McCaw
Carter
Michalak (wtf?)
Owen Farrell (even bigger WTF?)

No JFL? No Read? No Habana? Pencil McCaw in for his 4th, he does deserve it but outside of him and Carter that list is urine weak, even if Michalak is now showing 'form'

I nearly peed myself with farrell's inclusion

I'm confused

Me too.

Hasn't Michalak only played 3 international games this year?

And as for Farrell

Owen Farrell on the short list??????? Beyond laughable

Owen Farrell?

I knew it, said all along the lad has favorite tag written all over.

Well not Player of Year, but in their Hall of Fame John Smit's in there, he's a prop/hooker

POTY selection panel: Eales, Greenwood, G Hastings, Raphael Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Umaga & Paul Wallace.

The shortlist becomes more of a joke with every year.

I could understand Michalak if hed had more than his 4 starts this year, as hes been sublime, but to be nominated for player of the year, the player surely mustve played most of the year?

And Farrell? Unless the object of rugby is to be slow and clueless, I dont understand that one at all.

Greenwood and Quinnell, was Farrell on School of Hard Knocks?

Greenwood would have made sure his SKY team buddies on the panel got on board and voted Farrell in,
the SKY team love Farrell and fawn all over everything he does on the commentary and studio analysis.