McCaw wins it – again
Posted by Boertjie - 29/11/09 at 11:11 am under General DiscussionsNew Zealand’s inspirational captain Richie McCaw has been named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year for 2009.
The 28-year-old was presented with the Award following the All Blacks’ emphatic 39-12 win over France in Marseille on Saturday and becomes the first person to have been awarded rugby’s most prestigious individual accolade twice, having previously been named IRB Player of the Year in 2006.
Despite the end of New Zealand’s four-year reign as Tri-Nations champions, the flank led by example, producing a series of outstanding individual performances while driving his team to a clean sweep of November test victories.
In the most closely contested race to be named IRB Player of the Year since the Award’s inception in 2001, McCaw fought off stiff competition from Ireland’s Jamie Heaslip and Brian O’Driscoll, South Africa’s Fourie du Preez and Francois Steyn, Australia’s Matt Giteau and England’s Tom Croft during a year of memorable test match encounters.
“It is a huge honour. I am extremely proud. I am just happy to be part of a team doing well. I am happy to do my bit, but it is a great honour. I said it before, you can’t do it without a bunch of mates. It has been a trying year at times, but it is great to be part of a winning team,” said McCaw.
The IRB Player of the Year is selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales watched over 63 hours of action from 49 matches, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match.
“There is no doubt that this was a particularly closely-fought year with each of the shortlisted players producing outstanding performances. Richie is an inspirational figure, a fine leader and one of the greats of the Game in recent years, and a deserving recipient of the IRB Player of the Year Award for the second time,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
Earlier on Saturday, South Africa were named IRB Team of the Year and Ireland’s Declan Kidney the IRB Coach of the Year at Croke Park following the match between the Tri-Nations and Six Nations champions.
This trio of Awards presented Saturday means nine of the 13 coveted IRB Awards, including the IRB Hall of Fame, have now been presented. In May, England captain Ollie Phillips was named IRB Sevens Player of the Year, while Aaron Cruden was named IRB Junior Player of the Year in June after leading New Zealand Under-20s to the IRB Junior World Championship title.
Australia’s Debby Hodgkinson was named IRB Women’s Personality of the Year in August, L’Aquila Rugby Club received the Spirit of Rugby Award in September and this month Francis Palmade received the IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service.
In a new format for the IRB Awards winners have been named throughout the year with the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, IRB Development Award, IRPA Special Merit Award and the IRPA Try of the Year still to be made before the end of 2009.
Previous Winners
2001 – Keith Wood (Ireland)
2002 – Fabian Galthié (France)
2003 – Jonny Wilkinson (England)
2004 – Schalk Burger (South Africa)
2005 – Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
2006 – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2007 – Bryan Habana (South Africa)
2008 – Shane Williams (Wales)
November 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Thank you for a balanced article on the award – unlike some other one-eyed websites bleating about FdP not getting the award!
The AB’s are not the same without the man as was evident in the tests in NZ vs France and Italy. Despite his 2 serious injuries this year, Richie has come back each time as the hard but fair player rugby fans know him to be. His MOM awards vs the Sharks in Durban and yesterday in Marseilles as well as this IRB award are deserved.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Certainly from the rugby I’ve watched, Super-14 and 3-N, Du Preez was by far more influential than McCaw.
Perhaps Richie was huge in the other meaningless matches.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Reply to fyndraai @ 3:09 pm:
They made a mistake in this.Reply to out wide @ 11:52 am: Thank you for a balanced article on the award – unlike some other one-eyed websites bleating about FdP not getting the award!
It is because FDP was the best player by far in the world, If Richie was so good why did his team was the first in almost 20 years that lost three matches in a row to the Boks?
Be real he is not half the player than Fourie nor is he half the player than Brussouw this year, so on what do you judge him to have been awarded the Player of the year?
Maybe it is again because everyone feels sorry for the AB for not performing in WC’s. It was because they feel sorry for them that we need to play the WC 2011 in NZ, because it will be the first tournament that will be run where they know they gonna make a loss,
I do not feel sorry for the AB, big mouths and now they wanna talk because they played a running game against the French and beat them Hooopy Fucken Dooo.
AB did not play well at the EOY tour.
November 29th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
31 Oct All Blacks v Wallabies Tokyo, Japan 32-19
08 Nov All Blacks v Wales Cardiff 19-12
15 Nov All Blacks v Italy Milan 20-6
22 Nov All Blacks v England London 19-6
29 Nov All Blacks v France Marseille 39-12
Now how are they World Beaters here. Win Wales by 7 points, win Italy by 14 points, win England by 13 points, and had a good win against France.
If we played these teams and won by these margins and played bellowed ravage like they did we would have been unhappy with the Boks. If we lost three in a row against ZB this year would we be praising our captain the same.
Come on compare apples with apples.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Bunny ,your logic is flawed.
Whatever the score.
They Won.
Apples.
We,on the other hand,
got snotted by a second string leister side,
saracens,france and ireland.
We were relieved to win against Italy.
Apples.
The truth is we had a great season as far as
S14,albeit the Bulls,the rest faded,
The trinations and the lions,
which was tight.
Then again,looking at the S14 history
or the tri nations history,
we’re bound to win sometime,
for all the times we loose
or make up the bottom end
of the log.
We can’t seem to beat the frogs or the irish
consistantly,
and we are still gaaning aan about the WC
which is done and dusted.
fact of the matter is,
we can beat weaker sides with aggro,
but as far as basic skills go
we are’nt worth n poep.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
but as far as basic skills go
we are’nt worth n poep.
====
Man has a way with words.
November 29th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Literary genius Toppie.
All the promise of a shit
but manages merely hot air.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
3 in a row to ireland is a poep.
12 against france is a runny wet poep.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Good time to remember
all the praise singers
about the Greatest Team
since isolation:
THE MALLETT/TEICHMANN COMBO
3N champions
17 wins in a row
Against all-comers
(this bunch struggles to get 3)
Beat 7 kinds of living shit
out of the Frogs:
52-10
Tries by Snyman, Teich, Die Lem
and FOUR by Slaptjips.
Thats SEVEN tries.
Beat the Kilts 68-10 – 10 tries!
So don’t ever tune me
again about THE GREATEST.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 9:53 pm: Thanks for the reminder, now that is a champion team! So did they win the IRB team of the year award or was that not around at the time?
November 30th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 9:53 pm:
No Lions tour.
Only 4, 3N games.
Super12 – less games with nobody in the semis.
Before the pro-clubs in the NH were scooping off so much of the cream.
A good run yes, but not the same challenges as 2009.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Reply to fyndraai @ 3:06 am:
How many EOYT games did
this mottled crowd win?
ONE – against the weakest
A-tier nation.