Murray And Leinster Quartet Nominated For EPCR Player Of The Year Award
Players from eight different teams and all three European professional leagues are among the 15 nominees for the 2018 EPCR European Player of the Year award, presented by Turkish Airlines.
Leinster’s 100% record in the Champions Cup pool stages not only earned them the number 1 seeding for the quarter-finals, but that impressive run of form sees four of their squad – Scott Fardy, Tadhg Furlong, Isa Nacewa and Jonathan Sexton – nominated for one of the most prestigious individual accolades in the world game.
La Rochelle’s eye-catching Champions Cup debut has also earned nominations for Levani Botia, Dany Priso and Victor Vito, while the Clermont Auvergne pair, Morgan Parra and Alivereti Raka, as well Tadhg Beirne and Gareth Davies of the Scarlets, are included in the star-studded list which was selected by a panel of renowned rugby experts.
Last year’s winner, Owen Farrell of Saracens, who received the inaugural Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy as well as one million air miles from Turkish Airlines, is included once again along with Munster’s star scrum half Conor Murray.
Voting for the award is open now on www.championscuprugby.com/epoty and fans will be in the running to win two VIP tickets to the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals in Bilbao next May with one night’s accommodation courtesy of EPCR.
The list will be reduced to five players in April following the Champions Cup semi-finals by a combination of the public vote and the verdict of the panel of judges.
The voting will then be reopened and the winner of the 2018 award will be announced after the Champions Cup final in Bilbao on Saturday, May 12.
2018 EPCR EUROPEAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES:
Tadhg Beirne (Scarlets)
Levani Botia (La Rochelle)
Gareth Davies (Scarlets)
Scott Fardy (Leinster)
Owen Farrell (Saracens)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)
Conor Murray (Munster)
Isa Nacewa (Leinster)
Leone Nakarawa (Racing 92)
Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne)
Dany Priso (La Rochelle)
Alivereti Raka (Clermont Auvergne)
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
Josua Tuisova (Toulon)
Victor Vito (La Rochelle)
Judging Panel: Stuart Barnes (Sky Sports/The Sunday Times), Chris Jones (BBC Radio 5 Live), Matthieu Lartot (France Télévisions), Emmanuel Massicard (Midi Olympique), Brian O’Driscoll (BT Sport), Dimitri Yachvili (beIN Sports)
EPCR European Player of the Year Roll Of Honour –
2017: Owen Farrell (Saracens)
2016: Maro Itoje (Saracens)
2015: Nick Abendanon (Clermont Auvergne)
2014: Steffon Armitage (Toulon)
2013: Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon)
2012: Rob Kearney (Leinster)
2011: Sean O’Brien (Leinster)
2010: Ronan O’Gara (Munster) – best player of first 15 years of European club competitions