McCaw heads charge for IRB award,,,

McCaw heads charge for IRB award

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is on target to claim a fourth International Rugby Board player of the year award.

McCaw won the titles in 2006, 2009 and 2010 while fellow All Black Dan Carter, who has also been nominated, won the award in 2005.

England international Owen Farrell is a shock nomination and joins French first five Frederic Michalak among the four finalists.

The short-list will cause consternation in some quarters.

Among the many deserving cases not nominated are inspirational Argentina captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Wales flanker Dan Lydiate - last season's Six Nations player of the tournament - Australia back-row star David Pocock and All Blacks No.8 Kieran Read.

Wales, despite being 2011 World Cup semi-finalists and 2012 Six Nations champions, have not had a player nominated for the second successive year.

Farrell, the 21-year-old son of England assistant coach Andy Farrell, is expected to replace an injured Toby Flood against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

It will be his first Test match start since losing his place to Flood during last summer's South Africa tour.

No-one, though, can seriously question the inclusion of McCaw.

The winner will be announced at next Monday's 2015 Rugby World Cup pool draw in London, together with IRB coach of the year and team of the year.

The panel of judges comprised Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphael Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga and Paul Wallace, under Australian World Cup-winning captain John Eales' chairmanship.

IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "As ever, the competition has been fierce and the panel had a tough time deliberating the shortlist from a number of stand-out candidates.

"All four players on the shortlist thoroughly deserve their place after stand-out performances during the year and consistency in the tough environment that is Test rugby."

Surely Mccaw should bag this. Credit must be given to him, not once could I remember if Richie ever lost form during his career? One thing is for sure Sir Richie you legend!!

 How did Owen Farrell get onto the list? He is not even a first choice for his national team. 

Or is it the united nations committee, where selectors can nominate fairly by choosing from their own country?

Beeno is unlucky to miss out especially after his performance in Dunedin.

im not surprised that there are not too many people who are surprised, after all, i have been consistently saying that king richie will make the IRB nomination list, ever since the june test series where i firsts aid after the 2nd test that if McCaw plays half as well as he did in the first two tests for the rest of the year, then he will win the 2012 IRB player of the year award.

with such a limited field and given that ive watched all the eng games plus the french games that michilak, provided that michilak didnt play against the pumas in the june test series, o_O

but i reckon that McCaws got this hands down, easily been the most consistent player in nearly every match & his 21 tackles last week against wales, plus his 4 ball carries for 30 meters with tackle and clean line break to get him a well deserved MOTM performance, but that was the icing on his undefeated 2012 cake.

in a career spanning 12 seasons, he has been nominated for player of the year 8 times, and won the covetd individual award 3 times which includes 2006, 2009 and 2010. not only is he the only player ever to win in back to back years, but hes the only person to win it more then once. un beleivabe richie, keep up the good work u legend, u are by far the greatest player i have ever seen play rugby.
long live the king and,,,,

GO THE MIGHT MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!!!
 

Dude is a good player - so consistent and cerebral - adapting to what the ref will allow.

 I would have thought that bryan Habana would have been on the nonimation list. Or maybe JP Pieterson as well albeit he has been injured for some of the year