World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year

World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by World Rugby at the World Rugby Awards.[1] It was called the IRB International Player of the Year, and it is sometimes colloquially referred to as the IRB World Player of the Year. From 2007 until 2014, it was the IRB Player of the Year. In 2014, following the International Rugby Board becoming World Rugby, the award was titled the World Rugby Player of the Year before becoming the World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year in 2016.[2] The award is presented to honour "the achievements of those involved at the highest level of the world game on the field".[1] The first World Rugby Player of the Year award was presented in London in 2001.[2] The winner receives a trophy at an annual awards ceremony.[3] The voting panel select a list of nominees who can then be voted for by players, coaches, media representatives and the public via Twitter. Informed by the vote, the panel then select the winner.[4] As of 2017 the voting panel comprises John Smit, George Gregan, Maggie Alphonsi, Clive Woodward, Brian O'Driscoll, Agustín Pichot, Richie McCaw and Fabien Galthié.[5]

The inaugural winner of the award was Irish hooker Keith Wood who is considered one of the greatest Ireland and British and Irish Lions players.[6][7][8] New Zealanders (also known as All Blacks) dominate the list of winners having received the award on ten occasions. Two All Blacks have won the award three times – flanker Richie McCaw (2006, 2009 and 2010) and fly-half Dan Carter (2005, 2012 and 2015). Fly-half is the most successful position with seven wins, followed by flanker with five. As of 2018, twelve of the eighteen recipients represent southern hemisphere teams. The winner of the World Rugby Player of the Year for 2018 is Ireland's Jonathan Sexton.[9]