Poll: Who is the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year?

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Scotland’s Mark Bennett, Georgia’s Vasil Lobzhanidze and New Zealand’s Nehe Milner-Skudder have been nominated for World Rugby’s inaugural Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

In order to be eligible to be nominated, players had to have played less than one year of senior international rugby. The nominees were selected by an independent panel, comprising former Wallaby scrum-half Gregan, former Argentina captain Felipe Contepomi and journalists Stephen Jones, Sarah Mockford and Jim Kayes.

Who should win the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award?

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The World Rugby website describes the nominees as follows:

MARK BENNETT (SCOTLAND)
“The highly-rated centre made his test debut in the win over Argentina last November, having previously represented Scotland at age grade level and sevens. One of only five players to start every Six Nations match in 2015, Bennett recovered from a shoulder injury to make the RWC 2015 squad and has again proved a danger in the Scottish midfield in the tournament, scoring twice in the win over Japan and once against Australia. The 22-year-old has started all 13 of his tests in a young Scottish backline.”

VASIL LOBZHANIDZE (GEORGIA)
“The diminutive scrum-half made his test debut against Germany in the European Nations Cup on 7 February and has quickly established himself as his country’s number one. He wrote his name into the Rugby World Cup history books when he started Georgia’s opening win over Tonga, becoming the youngest player in the tournament’s history at 18 years and 340 days. Lobzhanidze also played against New Zealand and Namibia to help Georgia secure qualification for RWC 2019, all only four months after he inspired his country to a first World Rugby U20 Trophy title.”

NEHE MILNER-SKUDDER (NEW ZEALAND)
“A stand-out for the Hurricanes in his debut Super Rugby season earlier this year, earning comparisons with his childhood idol Christian Cullen. The full-back cum winger forced himself into the mind of All Blacks selectors as a result and made the most of his chance, scoring twice on his debut against Australia in The Rugby Championship. The 24-year-old has started five matches at RWC 2015 and continued his penchant for try-scoring doubles, crossing twice against both Namibia and Tonga in Pool C and then once in the quarter-final against France.”

Who do you think should win? Vote in the poll above and leave your thoughts below.

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images

80 thoughts on “Poll: Who is the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year?”

  2. Hope its not Miller Skudder in many ways as although he’s very good, he looks even better playing for a dominant ABs team. Some very good other players out there who don’t get the recognition because of the teams that they play for. Watched Georgia twice at this RWC and I thought that they were a real revelation. Played some really good rugby.

    1. Well Vasil Lobzhanidze got plenty of votes – here, but the accolades, rightly or wrongly, tend to go to the heavy hitters.

      Miller Skudder had to work hard to get into the ABs in the 1st place & although he was in a winning team, he still had to make things happen & finish, which he did.

      These titles are subject to a degree subjectivity IMO & whilst they serve some purpose of recognition, they can also be a bit of a lottery methinks.

  3. All nominated players are good on their position and hope Vasil Lobzhanidze will win this award, he is young, play quit good, is motivated and this recognition will rise his self-confidence.
    Good luck to all, let the best will win!

  5. Over 1000 votes (and continuing to rise quickly by the minute) for Vasil Lobzhanidze? Methinks somebody is rigging the vote.

  14. I guess Lobzhanidze deserves, another two player are representatives of tams, whih are much higher class compare to Georgia, if we take consideration how much influence Lobzhanidze has in his team, and his age he deserves this award

  29. I would put 3 Georgian players as a candidate for the best World Rugby Player! My vote goes to Georgian <3

  35. Lobzhanidze ! Georgia is proud of you ! He really deserved it. Mates pls vote him. It’ll be a word of little country in a big rugby family

  49. I presume that all the commenters above and the 6500 (!) people who have now voted for Vasil Lobzhanidze don’t realise that this is not a vote for World Rugby Breakthrough Player but is just a poll to see who the readers of this blog would like to see win.

    Jamie et al – it might be an idea to close the comments on this particular post

      3. we know that it is not a pool ;) but I am also pretty sure that at least 300 votes out of 8800 are not Georgians. So he is already a winner – although he probably wont get this price in reality.

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