Carter stands alone in IRB awards

New Zealand star Dan Carter is the only Southern Hemisphere player on the International Rugby Board (IRB) nominations for the Player of the Year awards – a list dominated by men from the north.

The winner will be announced at the IRB Awards ceremony in London on November 23.

Scotland scrumhalf Mike Blair, the All Blacks flyhalf and 2005 IRB Player of the Year Carter, Italy captain Sergio Parisse and Wales pair of Shane Williams and Ryan Jones have been nominated for the most prestigious award.

“The IRB Player of the Year Award is the ultimate accolade for a player and takes into account performances in all the major internationals played during the year including the Six Nations, Tri-Nations and the June-July Tests,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“The list of past winners of this coveted award is impressive and reads like a who’s who of the international Game in recent years. Jonny Wilkinson, Schalk Burger, Richie McCaw, Fabien Galthié, Dan Carter, Bryan Habana and Keith Wood were all worthy recipients of the award, while Carter would be the first player to win twice should he be selected,” added Lapasset.

The nominees were selected by the Awards’ independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. The panel, which also votes on the IRB Team and Coach of the Year during the same period, has deliberated over every major Test this year.

Tana Umaga, Raphaël Ibanez, Will Greenwood, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Gavin Hastings, Scott Quinnell, Paul Wallace and convener John Eales watched over 47 hours of action from 35 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 during the November Tests when the IRB Player of the Year will be selected,” added Lapasset.

The IRB Player of the Year is one of 13 categories of awards that include the IRB Coach of the Year, IRB Team of the Year, IRB Sevens Player of the Year, IRB Junior Player of the Year and IRB Women’s Personality of the Year.

The event also recognises outstanding achievement and there are two awards that run in conjunction with these – awarded by the International Rugby Players’ Association (IRPA), the IRPA Special Merit award and the IRPA Try of the Year.

During the IRB Awards a total of five candidates will be inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame – two from the 19th Century, two from the 20th Century and one from the 21st Century.

Full list of categories:
IRB Player of the Year
IRB Coach of the Year
IRB Team of the Year
IRB Sevens Player of the Year
IRB Junior Player of the Year
IRB Hall of Fame
IRB Development Award
Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service
IRB Women’s Personality of the Year
IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service
Spirit of Rugby Award
IRPA Try of the Year
IRPA Special Merit Award