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Leone Nakarawa scoops major award
By Online Editors
Leone Nakarawa has been rewarded for an outstanding European campaign by being named EPCR European Player of the Year for 2018.
The big Fijian lock helped Racing 92 reach the Champions Cup final in which they were narrowly defeated by Leinster at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium.
The winner of the award was determined by a combination of a public vote and the verdict of an expert panel. A record 21,000 votes were registered from fans since the list of nominees for the award was named at the end of January.
To scoop the award Nakarawa fought off Racing teammate Maxime Machenaud along with Leinster’s star trio of Scott Fardy, Tadhg Furlong and Johnny Sexton to become the first Top 14 player to win the award since 2015.
His performances in the Champions Cup received widespread acclaim throughout the season with his try in Racing’s quarter-final win at Clermont voted as the best of the knockout rounds on ChampionsCupRugby.com.
Nakarawa is in elite company, with previous winners of the award including the likes of Owen Farrell, Jonny Wilkinson and Ronan O'Gara.
The 30-year-old Fijian has been with Racing since 2016, joining the French side after three years with Glasgow Warriors.
On top of his 47 appearances for his native Fiji, the athletic lock is also an Olympic gold medal winner, scoring a try in the 2016 Summer Olympics gold medal match against Great Britain.
2017/18 panel: Stuart Barnes (Sky Sports/The Sunday Times), Chris Jones(BBC Radio 5 Live), Matthieu Lartot (France Televisions), Emmanuel Massicard(Midi Olympique), Brian O’Driscoll (BT Sport), Dimitri Yachvili (beIN SPORTS).
Roll of Honour
2018: Leone Nakarawa (Racing 92)
2017: Owen Farrell (Saracens)
2016: Maro Itoje (Saracens)
2015: Nick Abendanon (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
2014: Steffon Armitage (RC Toulon)
2013: Jonny Wilkinson (RC Toulon)
2012: Rob Kearney (Leinster Rugby)
2011: Sean O'Brien (Leinster Rugby)
2010: Ronan O’Gara (Munster Rugby)
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Has there ever been a Red and Black you don't rate GP over the years? However to be fair most of your favs have had the goods.
Go to commentsI'm not very hopeful of a better change to the sport. Putting an Aussie in charge after they failed for two decades is just disgusting. What else will be brought in to weaken the game? What new rule changes will be made? How will the game be grown?
Nothing of value in this letter. There is no definitive drive towards something better. Just more of the same as usual. The most successful WC team is getting snubbed again and again for WC's hosting rights. What will make other competitions any different?
My beloved rugby is already a global sport. Why is there no SH team chosen between the Boks, AB's, Wallabies and Fiji? Like a B&I Lions team to tour Europe and America? A team that could face not only countries but also the B&I Lions? Wouldn't that make for a great spectacle that will also bring lots of eyeballs to the sport?
Instead with an Aussie in charge, rugby will become more like rugby league. Rugby will most likely become less global if we look at what have become of rugby in Australia. He can't save rugby in Australia, how will he improve the global footprint of rugby world wide?
I hope to be proven wrong and that he will raise up the sport to new heights, but I am very much in doubt. It's like hiring a gardener to a CEO position in a global company expecting great results. It just won't happen. Call me negative or call me whatever you'd like, Robinson is the wrong man for the job.
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