Doris Earns Nomination For Investec Player Of The Year Award
Caelan Doris is pictured in possession during Leinster's final pool outing against Bayonne at Stade Jean Dauger last weekend ©Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Leinster and Ireland captain Caelan Doris is on the list of world-class nominees for the 2026 Investec Player of the Year award, which will recognise the standout performer in this season’s EPCR competitions.
Selected by a panel of rugby legends and broadcast experts, the 10 nominees are expected to play a pivotal role as the Investec Champions Cup heads into the round of 16 in early April.
Public voting for one of the most prestigious individual honours in world rugby is now open at epcrugby.com/ipoty and will remain open until the end of the quarter-finals on Sunday, April 12.
Having returned in November following shoulder surgery, Doris was ever-present for Ireland during the Quilter Nations Series, going on to play every minute of Leinster’s unbeaten run through the pool phase of the Investec Champions Cup.
Leo Cullen’s men topped Pool 3 courtesy of wins over Harlequins (45-28), Leicester Tigers (23-15), La Rochelle (25-24), and Bayonne (22-13), advancing to the last 16 as third seeds overall.
With 57 carries so far, Doris is the Champions Cup’s joint-third top carrier after four rounds, and is in the top 10 for running metres (342.6), attacking ruck arrivals (87), and defensive ruck arrivals (29). He has been Leinster’s leading tackler with 41 successful hits.
The ultra-consistent number 8 was shortlisted for the prestigious EPCR award in 2022, when he lost out to team-mate Josh van der Flier, and also made the final list of nominees in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The efforts of Doris and his Leinster team-mates in going unbeaten in their pool have given a home round of 16 fixture against Edinburgh in April. Win that game and they would be back at the Aviva Stadium the following week to face either Harlequins or Sale Sharks.
The 2026 Player of the Year list includes Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the tournament’s leading try scorer so far with six tries, his Bordeaux-Bègles team-mate Matthieu Jalibert, and Bath duo Finn Russell and Alfie Barbeary.
Pool 1 winners Glasgow Warriors are represented by top tackler Jack Dempsey, and the 10-man group is completed by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), George Hendy (Northampton Saints), Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulousain), and Tom Willis (Saracens).
The nominees were selected by a judging panel comprised of former Munster and Ireland star Simon Zebo, Dimitri Yachvili, Elma Smit, Ryan Wilson, and Topsy Ojo, following the conclusion of the pool matches in both the Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Following the initial voting period, a shortlist of five players will then be determined through a combination of public votes and the judges’ selections, before fans are invited to vote again to decide the 2026 Investec Player of the Year alongside the judges.
2026 INVESTEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
Alfie Barbeary (Bath Rugby)
Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Union Bordeaux-Bègles)
Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors)
Caelan Doris (Leinster Rugby)
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
George Hendy (Northampton Saints)
Matthieu Jalibert (Union Bordeaux Bègles)
Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulousain)
Finn Russell (Bath Rugby)
Tom Willis (Saracens)