Willie, Duane in line for top award

Springbok fullback Willie le Roux (right) and No 8 Duane Vermeulen were named among five candidates yesterday for the IRB World Rugby Player-oftheyear.

The other nominees were Irish flyhalf Jonathan Sexton, New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick and wing Julian Savea.

The winner will be announced later this month.

“All of these nominees have enjoyed stellar years and the focus on who will claim this accolade will add an extra dimension to the remaining November Tests,” said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.

The IRB World Rugby Player-of-the-Year nominees were selected by the independent IRB Awards panel, chaired by Australia’s Rugby World Cup 1999-winning captain John Eales.

The panel, comprising Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustín Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga and Paul Wallace, has deliberated on every major Test played in 2014, starting with the RBS Six Nations and culminating with the November internationals.

“As always the panellists’ independent deliberations have produced a worthy list of contenders among a strong field,” said Eales.

“It has been a year where we have seen a levelling in competition with an unpredictability in so many games now. With a spread of a couple of outside backs, a flyhalf, a back-rower and a lock in contention it is not going to be an easy selection to determine the Player-of-theYear.”