Van der Flier and Sexton up for Player of the Year prize as eight Irish Rugby stars nominated for World Rugby awards

The award ceremony will take place later this month with fans able to vote on selected categories.

Eight Irish Rugby stars have been nominated for the World Rugby Awards which take place on November 20.

Ireland flanker Josh van der Flier and Fly-Half Johnny Sexton are both in the running to win the World Rugby Player of the Year after the Leinster pair were among four nominees announced yesterday. Meanwhile, Ireland boss Andy Farrell has been nominated for World Rugby’s coach of the year award.

Ireland wing Mack Hansen and hooker Dan Sheehan have been nominated for Men’s Breakthrough Player of the Year.

Terry Kennedy and Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe are in consideration for the respective Men’s and Women’s Sevens Player of the Year while Linda Djougang‘s try against Wales in the TikTok Women’s Six Nations is up for Women’s Try of the Year.

Van der Flier has already won European Player of the Year for his performances for Leinster  on the way to an agonising Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle earlier this year, while he also took home both the Players’ Player of the Year prize and the Rugby Writers’ Player of the Year award. Despite being a mainstay in the Ireland squad since 2016 he has rose to new heights this year with four tries to date in a green jersey over the course of the year.

Sexton is aspiring to become just the fourth player to win the award multiple times after New Zealand trio Dan Carter (2005, 2012 and 2015), Richie McCaw (2009 and 2010) and Beauden Barrett (2016 and 2017) after his triumph four years ago in the Grand Slam winning year. The 37-year old has gone from strength to strength this year on his way to his sixth Champions Cup final and first series win in New Zealand where he captained his side against The All Blacks.

Grand Slam-winning captain Antoine Dupont and Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am are the other names in contention for the prize with both coming of impressive individual seasons for club and country

Farrell, who led Ireland to an unexpected first ever series victory against New Zealand in July and has seen his side go on to become world number one in the IRB rankings, is among four contenders for the Coach of the Year award.

He is joined by England’s Simon Middleton, New Zealand’s Wayne Smith and Frances Fabien Galthie.

Middleton’s England team won 30 successive Tests under her guidance, although that spectacular run was ended at the hands of fellow nominee Wayne Smith in the World Cup final defeat against New Zealand on Saturday.

Galthie, meanwhile, oversaw France’s first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2010 earlier this year

Hansen signed for Connacht in April of 2021 and after an impressive debut season for the province he was named in the Six Nations squad ahead of the tournament as one of two uncapped players. He scored in the loss against France but kept his fine form up for the year and has recently scored in back-to-back games against South Africa and Fiji to earn a deserved nomination

Sheehan came through Leinster’s academy and made his debut in October of 2020. He made his Ireland Debut against Japan in November 2021 with his first start coming against Italy in the Six Nations this year. In June he was named Leinsters young player of the year for the 2021-2022 season as they reached the Champions cup final.

Henry Arundell and Ange Capuozzo are the other names up for the award after stellar Six Nations campaigns for England and Italy respectively.

Kennedy is up against Australian duo Nick Malouf and Corey Toole as well as Fiji’s Kaminieli Rasaku. Crowe-Murphy has Australian trio Charlotte Caslick, Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan for company in the Women’s 7s shortlist.

The 22nd World Rugby Awards will be handed out on 20 November from 19:30 CET. Fans can vote for their winner on social media and select their winners for the two International Rugby Players Men’s and Women’s Try of the Year categories until Thursday, 17 November at 23:59