Every year, World Rugby unveil its winner of the men’s Player of the Year, with the first recipient of the award being Ireland’s Keith Wood in 2001.
Over the years, New Zealand have dominated the nominations, with 31 players shortlisted for the award, with an All Black winning the prize on 10 occasions.
History of winners
Dan Carter was the first All Black to claim the accolade in 2005 and would do so again in 2012 and 2015, taking the honour three out of the five times he was nominated.
Carter’s teammate and captain, Richie McCaw, became the first player to win the award on more than one occasion in 2009 after picking up the gong for the first time three years prior. He would make it a hat-trick of awards the following year, also becoming the first player to win it back-to-back. The 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning skipper also holds the record for the most nominations, failing to win the award on five occasions, along with his three victories.
Former France scrum-half Fabien Galthie was the second player to be crowned the best player in the world in 2002. He is one of 10 French players to be nominated and was the first of three to win the accolade, with Thierry Dusautoir becoming the second in 2011 and Antoine Dupont the third in 2021.
In 2003, Jonny Wilkinson guided England to Rugby World Cup glory and was duly named as the Player of the Year, becoming the first English player to win the award. To this day, he is still the only England player to be named World Player of the Year despite 13 nominations.
Jonny Wilkinson in Rugby World Cup mode. Machine. 
pic.twitter.com/GDR6bFTk2d
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) January 13, 2021
The following year, Schalk Burger became the Springboks’ first winner of the award, with South Africa boasting the second most nominations (19) in the award’s history. Bryan Habana (2007) and Pieter-Steph du Toit (2019) followed in his footsteps in the years that South Africa won the Rugby World Cup.
After Habana in 2007, Shane Williams became the first Wales player be crowned the Player of the Year, beating Sergio Parisse, Carter, Mike Blair and Ryan Jones to the accolade. No other Welshman has claimed the accolade since.
In 2013, Kieran Read became the third All Black to win the award. His accolade came after Carter secured the tag a year earlier, which kickstarted a period of New Zealand dominance between 2012 and 2017.
After Read, it was Brodie Retallick who won in 2014 and Carter in 2015 before Beauden Barrett went back-to-back in 2016 and 2017.
Johnny Sexton ended New Zealand’s dominance in 2018 as he became the second Irishman to win the award.
Due to the global pandemic in 2020, World Rugby opted not to award anyone the Player of the Year, but when it returned in 2021, Dupont would become the third Frenchman.
After Dupont, Josh van der Flier became the third Irishman to be crowned the World Player of the Year.
In 2023, Ardie Savea became the 11th All Black to win the accolade despite New Zealand finishing as runners-up in the World Cup.
2024 World Rugby Awards: Star-studded voting panels, criteria and date confirmed for the prestigious event
World Rugby Player of the Year nominees by country
Includes the winners
31 – New Zealand
22 – South Africa
15 – Australia
13 – England
14 -Ireland
9 – France
5 – Wales
2 – Argentina
2 – Italy
1 – USA
Player of the Year winners by country
11 – New Zealand
3 – South Africa
3 – Ireland
3 – France
1 – England
1 – Wales
Past winners and nominees list
2001 – Keith Wood (Ireland)
Runners-up: George Gregan (Australia), George Smith (Australia), Jonny Wilkinson (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2002 – Fabien Galthie (France)
Runners-up: Jason Robinson (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Joe van Niekerk (South Africa)
2003 – Jonny Wilkinson (England)
Runners-up: Phil Waugh (Australia), Steve Thompson (England), Imanol Harinordoquy (France), Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2004 – Schalk Burger (South Africa)
Runners-up: Matt Giteau (Australia), Serge Betsen (France), Gordon D’Arcy (Ireland), Marius Joubert (South Africa)
2005 – Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Tana Umaga (New Zealand), Bryan Habana (South Africa), Victor Matfield (South Africa)
2006 – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Chris Latham (Australia), Paul O’Connell (Ireland), Dan Carter (New Zealand), Fourie du Preez (South Africa)
2007 – Bryan Habana (South Africa)
Runners-up: Felipe Contepomi (Argentina), Juan Martín Hernández (Argentina), Yannick Jauzion (France), Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2008 – Shane Williams (Wales)
Runners-up: Sergio Parisse (Italy), Dan Carter (New Zealand), Mike Blair (Scotland), Ryan Jones (Wales)
2009 – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Matt Giteau (Australia), Tom Croft (England), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Fourie du Preez (South Africa), Frans Steyn (South Africa)
2010 – Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Kurtley Beale (Australia), David Pocock (Australia), Imanol Harinordoquy (France), Mils Muliaina (New Zealand), Victor Matfield (South Africa)
2011 – Thierry Dusautoir (France)
Runners-up: Will Genia (Australia), David Pocock (Australia), Jerome Kaino (New Zealand), Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand), Piri Weepu (New Zealand)
2012 – Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Owen Farrell (England), Frédéric Michalak (France), Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
2013 – Kieran Read (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Sergio Parisse (Italy), Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), Ben Smith (New Zealand), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
2014 – Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Julian Savea (New Zealand), Willie le Roux (South Africa), Johnny Sexton (Ireland), Duane Vermeulen (South Africa), Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
2015 – Dan Carter (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Michael Hooper (Australia), David Pocock (Australia), Julian Savea (New Zealand), Greig Laidlaw (Scotland), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
2016 – Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Owen Farrell (England), Maro Itoje (England), Billy Vunipola (England), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Dane Coles (New Zealand)
2017 – Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
Runners-up: Israel Folau (Australia), Owen Farrell (England), Maro Itoje (England), Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)
2018 – Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
Runners-up: Beauden Barrett (New Zealand), Rieko Ioane (New Zealand), Faf de Klerk (South Africa), Malcolm Marx (South Africa)
2019 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
Runners-up: Tom Curry (England), Ardie Savea (New Zealand), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), Joe Taufete’e (USA), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
2020 – Not awarded
2021 – Antoine Dupont (France)
Runners-up: Michael Hooper (Australia), Maro Itoje (England), Samu Kerevi (Australia)
2022 – Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Runners-up: Lukhanyo Am (South Africa), Antoine Dupont (France), Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
2023 – Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
Nominees: Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Antoine Dupont (France)
2024 – TBA
Nominees: Caelan Doris (Ireland), Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa), Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)
READ MORE: All-time Rugby World Cup player stats: Tries, carries, tackles and much more
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Publish date : 2024-11-19 00:35:12
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