Already deprived a few hours earlier, due to a suspension, of the match of the Blues against Japan in his city of Toulouse, the scrum half Antoine Dupont experienced another frustration in the evening. His name did not come out of the envelope during the ceremony of the World Rugby Awards, the rugby equivalent of the Golden Ball, organized for the first time in three years in “face-to-face”, in Monaco.
Failing to expand his collection of personal distinctions, already copiously filled for a player of only 26 years old, Dupont will console himself with his presence in the typical team of the year in the company of his compatriot and friend Grégory Alldritt.
The third line of La Rochelle had not been nominated for the supreme title despite a year punctuated by a Grand Slam in the Six Nations Tournament with France and a European club title.
Van der Flier award-winning
A first continental star won in the final by Stade Rochelais at the expense of the Irish province of Leinster (24-21), where van der Flier is playing.
The 29-year-old third line wing is the third Irish player to be named the best player in the world after hooker Keith Wood (2001) and fly-half Johnny Sexton (2018).
The latter was still one of the four players selected this year, at the age of 37, alongside his fellow winner, Dupont and the South African center three-quarter Lukhanyo Am.
Claimed best player
The jury, made up of former international players, crowned through van der Flier a full year for Ireland, the first nation in the world rankings, which places four of its men in the standard team.
The Clover XV have won nine of their eleven matches in 2022, only losing in France (30-24) in the Tournament and during the first test of their historic victorious tour in New Zealand (42-19).
On the women’s side, the winners of these World Rubgy Awards 2022 logically give pride of place to New Zealand, recently crowned world champion at home, after a superb final against England (34-31), while she seemed to be losing momentum a year earlier. The title of best player in the world was awarded to opener Ruahei Demant, that of female revelation to her teammate Ruby Tui and that of coach of the year to their coach Wayne Smith.