Three All Blacks nominated for World Player of the Year

Thursday, 20 October 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AUCKLAND (Reuters): All Black trio Piri Weepu, Jerome Kaino and Ma’a Nonu made up half of the list of nominees for rugby’s World Player of the Year award, announced on Wednesday.

The New Zealanders, who are almost certain to play in the World Cup final this weekend, were joined by Australia’s David Pocock and Will Genia on the shortlist for rugby’s most prestigious individual award.

The final nominee was France flanker Thierry Dusautoir, who will captain his country against the All Blacks in Sunday’s final at Eden Park.

“This has been one of the closest years to date,” said the head of selection panel John Eales, the former Australia captain.

“In fact the result could be influenced significantly by the next two matches and that’s what it should be like in a World Cup year.”

Flanker Kaino has been his country’s form loose forward this season with several standout performances in the World Cup so far.

Centre Nonu, who has been among the world’s best backs for several years, has also been in impressive form but Weepu’s nomination was something of a surprise.

The scrumhalf returned from a long-term injury in April and although he was included in the New Zealand World Cup squad, he only made the starting role his own during the tournament.

Weepu assumed the kicking duties after the loss of New Zealand’s flyhalf Dan Carter to injury, however, and was instrumental in their victories over Argentina and Australia in the quarter and semi-finals.

Pocock is nominated for the award for the second season in a row after losing out to fellow openside flanker Richie McCaw when the All Blacks captain won for a third time last year.

Scrumhalf Genia was one of the driving forces behind Australia claiming the Tri-Nations title for the first time in a decade earlier this year.

Australia face Wales in the third-place playoff at Eden Park on Friday and the winner of the award will be announced next Monday, the day after the final.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.