Convened by ERC, organisers of the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup, the panel includes legends of the game such as Sir Ian McGeechan, Lawrence Dallaglio and Fabien Galthie who have exerted a major influence on the European club rugby landscape over the past 15 seasons.

Ieuan Evans, a Heineken Cup winner with Bath, former Australia great, Michael Lynagh, who played in both ERC tournaments, and leading media commentators from across Europe, including former Ireland captain and team manager Donal Lenihan, were also part of the nine-man panel.

The award categories are: ERC European Player Award, ERC European Coaching Award, ERC European Fair Play Award and the ERC European Dream Team of the past 15 years as selected by the panel.

The prestigious ERC European Dream Team will be a combination of the most talented players who have featured in ERC's tournaments since the Heineken Cup kicked off in the 1995/96 season.

The results of the ERC15 awards will be announced in May with the Dream Team as well as the individual winners honoured at the ERC chairman's dinner in Paris on the eve of the Heineken Cup final at Stade de France on Saturday, May 22.

ERC Chairman Jean Pierre Lux said: "There was a time when cross-border matches in Europe were a rarity.

"Players from the four Home Unions, France and Italy only got together during Championship time - at the Five or Six Nations and World Cups. On the club front, being champions in your own backyard was the most important thing of all.

"Then the Heineken Cup came along - and changed the face of the game in Europe for ever. Since 1995, when a 12-team, five nation competition was put together, the professional game across Europe has been transformed by ERC's tournaments, the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup.

"It hardly seems 15 years since Emile Ntamack took his Toulouse side to Romania to face Farul Constanta and kick-off an exciting new concept.

"From those embryonic days has emerged a strata of competition that has elevated the standard of rugby in Europe at both local and international level.

"Only France had reached a World Cup final prior to the game going 'open' in 1995. Since then, and the advent of a fully professional, cross-border tournament in Europe, the French were runners-up at the 1999 World Cup, England won in 2003 and were runners-up in 2007.

"The Heineken Cup is regularly described as 'the greatest club rugby tournament in the world' and has fitted perfectly into the northern Hemisphere fixture schedule just below the international tier.

"Both tournaments have provided some truly memorable moments down the years and the ERC15 Awards are about celebrating them, as well as the players who have lit up the competitions with their passion, skill and determination.

"ERC has demonstrated its commitment to this innovative scheme by assembling a vastly experienced panel of experts to run the rule over the past 15 seasons.

"We all have our best moments locked away in our memories, our favourite players and greatest matches. As for me, I just look forward with great relish to the next round of games.

"There are more great feats and great matches to come...as well as some heated debate over who should be included in the ERC European Dream Team, and who should win the ERC European Player, ERC European Coach and ERC European Fair Play awards."

ERC15 AWARD CATEGORIES:

ERC European Player Award - The best player from the past 15 years of European club rugby as decided by ERC's selection panel. Leading candidates as chosen by ERC Panel:

Lawrence Dallaglio, Rocky Elsom, Yannick Jauzion, Martin Johnson, Paul O'Connell, Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Fabien Pelous, David Wallace

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ERC European Coach Award - The leading coach from the past 15 years of European club rugby as decided by ERC's selection panel. Leading candidates as chosen by ERC Panel:

Warren Gatland, Declan Kidney, Guy Noves, Ian McGeechan, Dean Richards

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ERC European Fair Play Award - The player considered by the panel to have best upheld the values of the game over the past 15 years. Leading candidates as chosen by ERC Panel:

Fabien Galthie, Jeremy Guscott, John Hayes, Alessandro Troncon, Martyn Williams

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ERC European Dream Team - A selection of the greatest players to have graced the European club game over the past 15 years. Leading candidates for Dream Team as chosen by ERC Panel:

Full-Backs - Josh Lewsey, Geordan Murphy, Clement Poitrenaud, Tim Stimpson, Mark van Gisbergen

Wingers - Vincent Clerc, Cedric Heymans, Dafydd James, Josh Lewsey, Emile Ntamack

Centres - Pat Howard, Yannick Jauzion, Christophe Lamaison, Brian O'Driscoll, Fraser Waters

Out-Halves - Diego Dominguez, Austin Healey, David Humphreys, Stephen Jones, Ronan O'Gara

Scrum Halves - Philippe Carbonneau, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Austin Healey, Rob Howley, Peter Stringer

Props - Christian Califano, Pieter de Villers, Peter Clohessy, Darren Garforth, John Hayes, Sylvain Marconnet, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Rodrigo Roncero, Graham Rowntree, Julian White

Hookers - Jerry Flannery, Raphael Ibanez, Mario Ledesma, William Servat, Keith Wood

Second Rows - Ben Kay, Martin Johnson, Paul O'Connell, Fabien Pelous, Simon Shaw

Flankers - Neil Back, Jean Bouilhou, Martin Corry, Rocky Elsom, Greg Kacala, Oliiver Magne, Alan Quinlan, David Wallace, Martyn Williams, Joe Worsley

Number 8s - Lawrence Dallaglio, Anthony Foley, Jamie Heaslip, Christian Labit, Scott Quinnell