World Rugby has announced the shortlists for two of its most prestigious awards: Team of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Nominated for team of the year are the two World Cup finalists, Australia and New Zealand, along with semi-finalists, Argentina, and the team that produced the biggest shock the sport has possibly ever seen, Japan.
By no coincidence whatsoever, the four men nominated for coach of the year are at the helms of those four nations respectively: Michael Cheika, Steve Hansen, Daniel Hourcade and Eddie Jones.
The nominees were selected by an independent panel, comprising Australia’s RWC 1999-winning captain John Eales (chairman), former Italy and South Africa coach Nick Mallett, former Argentina captain Agustín Pichot, Scott Hastings and his fellow Scot John Jeffrey, a World Rugby Council Member.
World Rugby had the following to say about each nation and coach:
New Zealand, under coach Hansen – the recipient of the last three Coach of the Year awards, have lost only one match in 2015, against Australia in The Rugby Championship decider in August. They are bidding to become the first nation to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups.
Australia, who like New Zealand would lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time with victory in the final at Twickenham on Saturday, have been transformed over the last 12 months by Cheika, winning The Rugby Championship title and beating five of the top 10 sides in the World Rugby Rankings to reach their fourth Rugby World Cup final.
Argentina have been one of the most exciting teams to watch over the past six weeks as, building on their first-ever victory over South Africa in August, they have followed Hourcade’s brief to play an attacking style of rugby to the letter, behind only the All Blacks in points and tries scored at RWC 2015.
Japan had waited 24 years for a second RWC victory but under Jones they won three matches in 2015, climbed to 10th in the World Rugby Rankings and narrowly missed out on a first-ever quarter-final place. They earned a new army of fans not only at home with television audiences growing with every match to reach 25 million against Samoa, but also around the world, helping to transform the sport’s profile in Japan and create heroes for the next generation to look up to ahead of the country hosting the tournament in 2019.
Who do you think should win team and coach of the year? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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Nick Mallett my coach of the year
Japan my team of the year
Definitely Japan as team of the year. Garland has to be coach of the year as Wales with all their injuries should not have got out of the pool of death