France captain Thierry Dusautoir completed a notable double on Monday when he was named International Rugby Board player of the year, a day after winning man-of-the-match honours in the World Cup final.
New Zealand were named team of the year, with All Blacks boss Graham Henry the coach of the year.
Flanker Dusautoir saw off competition for the award from the All Blacks trio of rival flanker Jerome Kaino, centre Ma’a Nonu and halfback Piri Weepu, who all played against him in Sunday’s final.
Also on the shortlist were Australia’s duo of flanker David Pocock and halfback Will Genia, members of the Wallabies side who finished third at the World Cup.
Australians didn’t walk away empty handed from the awards night though with Radike Samo’s remarkable individual five-pointer for Australia in the final Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand named try of the year while former Wallabies captain George Smith received the IRPA special merit award.
But blindside flanker Dusautoir was the man of the night, his effort all the more impressive given France lost the final, going down 8-7 to tournament hosts New Zealand at Eden Park despite Dusautoir’s early second-half try.
Dusautoir has been at the helm during some of French rugby’s darkest recent days, notably a Six Nations defeat by Italy, two heavy losses to South Africa and Argentina, and then a record 59-16 loss to Australia, and in this World Cup a shock pool defeat by Tonga.
Amid rumours of splits between management and the World Cup squad, Dusautoir had to ride out public criticism of the players from France coach Marc Lievremont and ridicule from an unforgiving French press.
Dusautoir sprang to prominence when he produced an astonishing 38 tackles playing as blindside flanker in France’s stunning 2007 World Cup quarter-final victory over New Zealand.
Taciturn, in a style very different to that of loquacious former captains Fabien Galthie and Raphael Ibanez, Dusautoir said French rugby chiefs were well aware of his approach before they chose him as skipper.
“I’m maybe not quite as exuberant but I’m someone who analyses things and says measured things,” said the 29-year-old Toulouse back-row forward.
“It’s the way I am, I’m not going to change. They knew that I was like that when they selected me.”
In 2010, Dusautoir, who has won three French titles with Biarritz and Toulouse and one European Cup with the latter side, captained France to their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2004.
Born in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan, to an Ivorian mother and French father, Dusautoir only arrived in France at the age of 10.
His main sport as a youngster was judo, before he took up rugby at the relatively late age of 16.
After qualifying for the knockout phase here despite losing pool matches to New Zealand and Tonga, the French displayed their mettle in a 19-12 quarter-final win over England, before staunch defence saw them home 9-8 against a 14-man Wales.
And, led by the outstanding Dusautoir, they so nearly achieved what would have been arguably the most impressive World Cup final win of them all on Sunday.
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