IRB Player of the year 2012

[TRF_stormer2010]

what about FLouw :? but i'm sure Read will get it...

I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'll promote Flo more than I would LOL but I can't see him get a nomination simply because he has only played 3 tests this year though I'd say he was MoTM in the 2nd, brilliant in his 1st and solid though not a stand-out in his 3rd. Certainly is an important in what has become a well balanced SA forward pack but not deserving of player of the year IMO.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'll promote Flo more than I would LOL but I can't see him get a nomination simply because he has only played 3 tests this year though I'd say he was MoTM in the 2nd, brilliant in his 1st and solid though not a stand-out in his 3rd. Certainly is an important in what has become a well balanced SA forward pack but not deserving of player of the year IMO.

Totally agree...

Same can be said about Morne Steyn. He has won 2 MOTM awards this year for the springboks, yet nobody is going to nominate him for the award...

 

[The big Kangaroo]

If any Aussie was to get nominated it would be diggers but atm the award should probably go to dagg but who know's there is still allot of rugby to be played this year

 

[big ginger 8]

....Cian Healy....

 

[dullonien]

The way you said it seemed to imply that you were. Anyway we drift off topic. All I was saying was that some people round here seem to think that Wales are deserving of 2 or 3 nominations for player of the year (Lydiate, North and Halfpenny have all been mentioned) despite being white washed in Australia and not being outstanding, as in head and shoulders above everyone else, in the 6 nations. When I suggested an English player who has had a very good year I get laughed at. You guys clearly either have a very high opinion of yourselves or are too anti-English to even consider one of our guys having a better year than your guys.

To be fair you're using the excuse that you don't think the Welsh TEAM were amazing to suggest that those Welsh players mentioned don't deserve to be nominated. Just look back at Lydiates performances in the 6 Nations, they were monumental and meant that he picked up player of the tournament despite missing the first game against Ireland.

Some of North's performances have been great, especially the game against Ireland where he possibly produced the single biggest play in international rugby this year to create Davies' second try. He didn't shine down under though, so I can understand people writing him off (his time will come regardless I believe).

Finally we come to imo the most deserving of the Welsh candidates, Halfpenny, who has been magnificent all year. Himself and Kearney were the standout fullbacks in the 6 Nations. Both were great throughout, up there competing with Lydiate as player of the tournament. Halfpenny then proceeded to travel to Australia and put in three even better performances. His kicking has been world class (I'd hazard a guess that his success ratio has been the best of any international kicker this year), and should have clinched at least one win for Wales in the Summer.

 

[cyRil]

To be fair you're using the excuse that you don't think the Welsh TEAM were amazing to suggest that those Welsh players mentioned don't deserve to be nominated. Just look back at Lydiates performances in the 6 Nations, they were monumental and meant that he picked up player of the tournament despite missing the first game against Ireland.

Some of North's performances have been great, especially the game against Ireland where he possibly produced the single biggest play in international rugby this year to create Davies' second try. He didn't shine down under though, so I can understand people writing him off (his time will come regardless I believe).

Finally we come to imo the most deserving of the Welsh candidates, Halfpenny, who has been magnificent all year. Himself and Kearney were the standout fullbacks in the 6 Nations. Both were great throughout, up there competing with Lydiate as player of the tournament. Halfpenny then proceeded to travel to Australia and put in three even better performances. His kicking has been world class (I'd hazard a guess that his success ratio has been the best of any international kicker this year), and should have clinched at least one win for Wales in the Summer.

Dull has it spot on and said pretty much everything that I couldn't be arsed to last night. Cheers pal

 

[jlowe]

I think player of the year nominees should be between these candidates who have performed exceptionally well this year (Sorry, not too sure about Northern Hemisphere players to be honest, but from what i have heard):

-Richie McCaw
-Dan lydiate
-Eben Etzebeth
-Keiran Read
-Israel Dagg
-Habana
-Aaron Smith

and a few other kiwis have been exceptionally well but dont want to seem too biased

 

[Black_Magic]

The shortlist will include six players (or am I wrong?). I don't think we can have more than three coming from one country, even though so far New Zealand deserves four or five spots. Just to remind you, the last year's shortlist was: Kaino, Weepu, Nonu, Pocock, Genia and Dusautoir, who won the award. So 3 All Blacks, 2 Wallabies and 1 Bleu.
I can't imagine less than three ABs this year as well. So here's my guess (I too have to admit I haven't been following NH rugby too much, apart from French TOP14 and some H Cup, but it doesn't count).

Richie McCaw
Israel Dagg
Kieran Read
Bryan Habana
Leigh Halfpenny
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe

Quite difficult to pick the All Blacks as it was really the whole team responsible for the results, with no weak points. Nevertheless I think these three are the best choices (and they have been mentioned a few times here). Habana had his best season in five years or so and Halfpenny gave Wales what they badly needed - some stable kicking (and he has been pretty good in all other areas too). I picked these five quite quickly and the sixth one was the most difficult choice. Lobbe was awesome in the most difficult rugby competition in the world, so I chose him, but there are a few other options as well.

Who should win out of these six? I have no idea My favourite player is Dagg, but whether he deserves it just now I'm not sure.

 

[Shaggy]

The shortlist will include six players (or am I wrong?). I don't think we can have more than three coming from one country, even though so far New Zealand deserves four or five spots. Just to remind you, the last year's shortlist was: Kaino, Weepu, Nonu, Pocock, Genia and Dusautoir, who won the award. So 3 All Blacks, 2 Wallabies and 1 Bleu.
I can't imagine less than three ABs this year as well. So here's my guess (I too have to admit I haven't been following NH rugby too much, apart from French TOP14 and some H Cup, but it doesn't count).

Richie McCaw
Israel Dagg
Kieran Read
Bryan Habana
Leigh Halfpenny
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe

Quite difficult to pick the All Blacks as it was really the whole team responsible for the results, with no weak points. Nevertheless I think these three are the best choices (and they have been mentioned a few times here). Habana had his best season in five years or so and Halfpenny gave Wales what they badly needed - some stable kicking (and he has been pretty good in all other areas too). I picked these five quite quickly and the sixth one was the most difficult choice. Lobbe was awesome in the most difficult rugby competition in the world, so I chose him, but there are a few other options as well.

Who should win out of these six? I have no idea My favourite player is Dagg, but whether he deserves it just now I'm not sure.

I doubt that it's mathematically possible for one nation to dominate the nominations, as the points are awarded for all test matches in a calendar year. This effectively means that players within the same team are competing against each other for the points, so if you have a team that deserves four or five spots, as you suggest, none of them are going to make the short list if they are all playing equally well/ getting an even distribution of points.

I watched a lot of test match rugby over the course of this year, but I haven't seen all of the games, and haven't keep a record of the players that played the best, and can't really remember all of the games TBH.

Who will win? ... I don't know ... it should be someone who has played most of the matches for their nation, and has been a cut above the rest in their team. It doesn't have to be someone from a winning team, although that would help, as it's easier to impress in a winning side.

... Maybe I'll try and keep track next year by awarding points myself, and see how I compare with the actual results

 

[TNT88]

I haven't read the 15 page thread, so I don't know who is nominated. But for me the best player in the world right now is Israel Dagg. (he is head and shoulders above all outside backs in 2012)

Richie had another good year, and really can only be stopped by his own team mates for this one!

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Keiran Reed should and will get it.

No more need be said.

 

[Darwin]

Keiran Reed should and will get it.

No more need be said.

You sir are correct. I salute you.

 

[lucky number 7]

Lads..We've already come to an agreement..


I deserve this

 

[Darwin]

Lads..We've already come to an agreement..


I deserve this

I think we can all agree you deserve an award. The most improved player award. You know, the award they give to the fat kid who isn't actually any good, but you want to encourage him to keep on giving it a go

 

[lucky number 7]

I think we can all agree you deserve an award. The most improved player award. You know, the award they give to the fat kid who isn't actually any good, but you want to encourage him to keep on giving it a go

 

[Hill-Back-Dallaglio]

Surely they'll do what they always do, weight it up carefully, give all candidates equal consideration, and then give it to McCaw anyway.

 

[admartian]

Surely they'll do what they always do, weight it up carefully, give all candidates equal consideration, and then give it to McCaw anyway.

Bunch of biased kiwis !!! GRRR!!! I mean, what the hell has McCaw ever done??? *shakes fist*

 

[nickdnz]

I think we can all agree you deserve an award. The most improved player award. You know, the award they give to the fat kid who isn't actually any good, but you want to encourage him to keep on giving it a go

I think I won most improved forum member in 2009...

 

[Darwin]

I think I won most improved forum member in 2009...

 

[FlukeArtist]

McCaw.
or Read.

It would be interesting if someone from a nation other than NZ got it, considering how points are awarded and given the results over the past year.