New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter was the only southern hemisphere player announced in the list of five nominees for the International Rugby Board (IRB) player of the year award.
Perpignan’s new recruit, who won the award three years ago, could be the first player to take the prize for a second time if he sees off competition from the Wales duo of Shane Williams and Ryan Jones, Scotland scrum-half Mike Blair and Italy captain Sergio Parisse.
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on November 23.
A panel of former internationals, with over 500 caps between them and chaired by former Australia World Cup-winning captain John Eales, watched more than 47 hours of action from the 35 Tests played so far this year, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match.
Eales’s fellow panellists included Tana Umaga, Raphael Ibanez, Will Greenwood, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Gavin Hastings, Scott Quinnell and Paul Wallace.
The panel also voted for the IRB’s team and coach of the year.
“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 RBS 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,” the Frenchman added.
“Jonny Wilkinson, Schalk Burger, Richie McCaw, Fabien Galthie, 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.”
In all there are 13 awards up for grabs and during the ceremony five players 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.
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