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Towards the end of last year, due to what I regard as some questionable decisions and a flawed voting system, I detailed my proposal for a new way to determine the World Rugby Player of the Year award – the most prestigious individual accolade in the game.
In this article I will explain who should have been the winners and nominees in previous years.
I only began following rugby religiously in 2002, so will forego commentary on the 2001 ceremony.
2002 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Fabien Galthie
Nominees: Richie McCaw
Joe van Niekerk
Brian O’Driscoll
Jason Robinson
2002 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Jonny Wilkinson
Nominees: Fabien Galthie
Richie McCaw
Joe van Niekerk
Brian O’Driscoll
Verdict: Fabien Galthie had a good year, leading a fantastic French side on six occasions, including playing every match of their Six Nations Grand Slam effort. But this was the year Jonny Wilkinson announced himself as a world-class player, being instrumental in England winning eight of their nine Test matches.
Highlighted by victories over the big three southern hemisphere nations, including scoring 21 and 22 points against the All Blacks and Wallabies respectively, not to mention his 30 point effort against Wales, this was a sign of things to come.
2003 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Jonny Wilkinson
Nominees: Imanol Harinordoquy
Richie McCaw
Steve Thompson
Phil Waugh
2003 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Jonny Wilkinson
Nominees: Doug Howlett
Richie McCaw
Joe Rokocoko
Steve Thompson
Verdict: Despite an abysmal end to their World Cup campaign, the All Blacks put together a very impressive string of performances. Howlett and Rokocoko in particular were incredible, scoring 14 and 17 tries respectively, many of those being individual marvels.
Throw in their solid defence and fantastic work rate and they are well deserving of their nomination over Harinordoquy and Waugh.
2004 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Schalk Burger
Nominees: Serge Betsen
Gordon D’Arcy
Matt Giteau
Marius Joubert
Verdict: No issue with winner or nominations.
2005 World rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Dan Carter
Nominees: Bryan Habana
Victor Matfield
Richie McCaw
Tana Umaga
Verdict: No issue with winner or nominations.
2006 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Richie McCaw
Nominees: Dan Carter
Chris Latham
Paul O’Connell
Fourie du Preez
Verdict: No issue with winner or nominations.
2007 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Bryan Habana
Nominees: Felipe Contepomi
Juan M. Hernandez
Yannick Jauzion
Richie McCaw
2007 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Bryan Habana
Nominees: Felipe Contepomi
Juan M. Hernandez
Richie McCaw
Fourie du Preez
Verdict: How Fourie du Preez wasn’t nominated this year baffles me, he was my pick for player of the tournament at the 2007 World Cup and a very close second to eventual winner Bryan Habana for player of the year, with Habana’s stronger performances prior to the World Cup giving him the edge.
2008 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Shane Williams
Nominees: Mike Blair
Dan Carter
Mike Jones
Sergio Parisse
2008 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Shane Williams
Nominees: Dan Carter
Jean De Villiers
Richie McCaw
Sergio Parisse
Verdict: In a tough decision between Williams and Carter, I eventually decided on Williams as a testament to his awesome individual try-scoring efforts throughout the season, ultimately finishing with 14 five-pointers.
De Villers was the South African Player of the Year, and McCaw was his typical, strong self all season, playing one of the best games of his career against the Springboks. This pair should knock token northern hemisphere nominees Blair and Jones out.
2009 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Richie McCaw
Nominees: Tom Croft
Matt Giteau
Jamie Heaslip
Brian O’Driscoll
Francois Steyn
2009 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Fourie du Preez
Nominees: Heinrich Brussow
Brian O’Driscoll
Morne Steyn
Matt Giteau
Verdict: Let’s get it out the way, this was the All Blacks worst season since 2004 and McCaw was not the best player in international rugby. Fourie du Preez was absolutely dynamic, being the major influence in the Springboks claiming the Lions tour and Tri-Nations title, and should have won the award. Brian O’Driscoll was a very close second after leading Ireland to their first Grand Slam since the Six Nations’ inception, and completing a season in which they won all but one match.
Morne Steyn and Heinrich Brussow had brilliant debut seasons, both especially dominant during the 3-0 whitewash of the All Blacks. Steyn kicked the series-clinching penalty against the Lions and scored all of the Springboks’ 31 points in Game 2 against the All Blacks, while Brussow dominated his counterpart McCaw in all three games.
Due to my selection criteria only involving five nominees, Croft, Heaslip and McCaw are dropped in favour of Wallabies Player of the Year Matt Giteau.
2010 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Richie McCaw
Nominees: Kurtley Beale
Imanol Harinordoquy
Victor Matfield
Mils Muliaina
David Pocock
2010 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Richie McCaw
Nominees: Kurtley Beale
Victor Matfield
David Pocock
Kieran Read
Verdict: Despite Kieran Read having a breakout season and claiming New Zealand Player of the Year, Richie McCaw was the deserved winner of the award after a fantastic return to form for both himself and the All Blacks. David Pocock had his first world-class season to announce himself as one of the premier 7s in world rugby, while Kurtley Beale had by far the best season of his career to date, scoring seven tries and proving a handful for every defence he came up against, as well as nailing a penalty with the last kick of the match to lift Australia over the Springboks for their first win at altitude in 47 years.
Victor Matfield was a shining light in a dour season for the Springboks and earns his nomination ahead of Harinordoquy and Muliaina.
2011 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Thierry Dusautoir
Nominees: Will Genia
Jerome Kaino
Ma’a Nonu
David Pocock
Piri Weepu
2011 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Jerome Kaino
Nominees: Will Genia
Ma’a Nonu
Sean O’Brien
David Pocock
Verdict: The greatest injustice in this award’s history is Jerome Kaino losing out to Thierry Dusautoir this year. Kaino was the undoubted player of the Rugby World Cup, playing every minute of the All Blacks’ campaign, scoring four tries, making immeasurable attacking contributions, and leaving would-be attackers broken with his shuddering defence.
Dusautoir was awarded the title based on one outstanding Test performance – albeit a World Cup final.
Sean O’Brien was strong all season but went to a whole other level during the World Cup, to be the pick of the northern hemisphere players at the tournament. He knocks Piri Weepu out of the nominees who, like Dusautoir, was awarded a nomination due to one man of the match performance during the year.
2012 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Dan Carter
Nominees: Owen Farrell
Richie McCaw
Frederic Michalak
2012 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Richie McCaw
Nominees: Dan Carter
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe
Bryan Habana
Kieran Read
Verdict: Two of the oddest nominations in the award’s history, Owen Farrell was not even a regular starter for England at the time and Frederic Michalak played only five games for an under-performing French side.
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe was immense for Argentina during their first year as part of the new Rugby Championship, while Habana had easily his best season since 2007 and in turn was crowned South African Player of the Year.
Read continued to prove himself as the premier No. 8 in world rugby, while Dan Carter had a year worthy of nomination, highlighted by a masterclass against Scotland and kicking the winning drop goal against Ireland, but McCaw was the best player in international rugby this season.
2013 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Kieran Read
Nominees: Eben Etzebeth
Leigh Halfpenny
Sergio Parisse
Ben Smith
2013 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Kieran Read
Nominees: Jean De Villiers
Leigh Halfpenny
Michael Hooper
Ben Smith
Verdict: Despite Leigh Halfpenny’s fantastic season, highlighted by being named both player of the tournament and player of the series during the Welsh Grand Slam of the Six Nations and Lions Tour victory respectively, this was a clearcut decision for Read, who produced one of the most dominant seasons by a player in recent memory.
Ben Smith had his breakout season in international rugby, scoring 11 tries and being consistently sound in all facets of the game. Although Eben Etzebeth announced himself to the world with a string of intimidating performances, his countryman, captain and South African Player of the Year Jean De Villers was a worthier nomination.
Australian Player of the Year Michael Hooper carried his world-class form of 2012 into this season, edging Sergio Parisse.
2014 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Brodie Retallick
Nominees: Wille le Roux
Julian Savea
Jonathan Sexton
Duane Vermuelen
2014 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Brodie Retallick
Nominees: Richie McCaw
Julian Savea
Jonathan Sexton
Duane Vermuelen
Verdict: Only issue with selection this year is that of Wille le Roux over Richie McCaw. Although le Roux was an attacking marvel for the Springboks during the June Test series, I don’t believe that warrants nomination over McCaw, who was consistently world class the entire season.
2015 World Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Dan Carter
Nominees: Michael Hooper
Greg Laidlaw
David Pocock
Julian Savea
Alun Wyn Jones
2015 Brad’s rugby player of the year
Winner: Dan Carter
Nominees: Schalk Burger
Ma’a Nonu
David Pocock
Ben Smith
Verdict: The big decision – Carter or Pocock? I’ve gone with the former by the narrowest of margins.
Pocock had a superb season, not even coming close to playing a bad game, with games for the ages against England and Argentina.
But Carter was the best player on the field in the three biggest games of the year (quarter, semi and final), not to mention Bledisloe 2, and you can’t really get any better than that – despite Pocock’s more consistent season.
Ma’a Nonu had the best season of his career and was probably the third-best player at World Cup. Despite fan favourites Milner-Skudder and Savea seeming like more obvious choices, Ben Smith was superior this season, the unsung hero of the All Blacks backline.
Schalk Burger rounds out my list of nominees, I am astounded by this guy’s work rate and his shear ferocity in both defence and attack. He led the World Cup in carries and carries over the mainline, and made the fourth-most tackles in the entire tournament.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.