World Rugby's best unveiled
NEWS: The World Rugby men’s and women’s 15-a-side Player of the Year have been announced.
Antoine Dupont (France) and Zoé Aldcroft (England) scooped the two prestigious categories and putting an end to a week of celebration.
Women’s 15-a-side Player of the Year 2021: Zoe Aldcroft (England)
Named England captain for the first time on her 25th birthday, Zoe Aldcroft led the Red Roses to an 89-0 victory over the USA and marked the occasion with a try.
Equally comfortable in the second row or on the blindside, she has established herself in a powerful England pack with assured performances that make her one of the first names on Simon Middleton’s team list.
Aldcroft started all eight of England’s matches in 2021 as the Red Roses extended their unbeaten run to 18 tests and won a third successive Women’s Six Nations title.
Nominees: Caroline Boujard (France), Poppy Cleall (England), Laure Sansus (France)
Men’s 15-a-side Player of the Year 2021: Antoine Dupont (France)
The first Frenchman to win the prestigious award since Thierry Dusautoir in 2011, scrum-half Antoine Dupont received two-thirds of the public vote, having been at the heart of a fast-developing young French team capturing the imagination ahead of a home Rugby World Cup in 2023.
The 25-year-old’s reading of the game, allied with his passing speed and turn of pace, invariably mean he’s in the right place to start or finish off a flowing French attack.
He crossed for three tries in the Six Nations and then was handed the captaincy for the Autumn Nations Series, leading France to three wins, including a first over New Zealand on home soil since 2000.
Nominees: Michael Hooper (Australia), Maro Itoje (England/British and Irish Lions), Samu Kerevi (Australia)
