BOD Misses being World Player of the Year by One Vote

thehighground

Article in the Sunday Times says BOD missed World Play of the Year by one vote to Richie McCaw. Paul Wallace who was a judge explains the process.

It’s the voting system. There was no round-table discussion, he says. The way it works is that each of the judges is responsible for every Test match that takes place in their jurisdiction. After every Test in Ireland this year, Wallace texted the names of the best three players on the pitch, regardless of nationality. Each nomination is worth a point, and at the end of November, someone in the IRB added up all the points. As we understand it, McCaw pipped O’Driscoll by a solitary point.

“It’s not as though the nine of us sat around and considered the politics of it all,” says Wallace. “In fact, the system was devised to take politics out of it. But it’s a flawed system, obviously, and I’ve made my views known to the IRB. For what it’s worth, I would have chosen Brian, followed by Fourie du Preez.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6962988.ece

kpnuts

thehighground wrote: »

Article in the Sunday Times says BOD missed World Play of the Year by one vote to Richie McCaw. David Wallace who was a judge explains the process.



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6962988.ece

Paul Wallace, not David, was a judge.

[Jackass]

Not only is O'Driscoll the best player on the planet right now, by a country mile, but for the last 7 years or so he has consistantly been one of / THE best player on the planet.

In my opinion he is one of the finest players to ever grace the game and is the only Irish player that would make the best World XV of all time.

In terms of what he is to the sport, his legacy is that of what Maradona was to football.... the once in a lifetime genius, the likes of which this country will probably never produce again...It is an absolute travisty that he will never win a world player of the year award despite being nominated 3 or 4 times now and it's heart braking that the man will not be given that recognition...he's been the best player in the world for any particular season on 3 or 4 occasions and should have something on his mantal piece to reflect that.

Redemption would be to see him lift the world cup.

(always bothers me that BO'D resigned as captain of Leinster the season we won the Heineken Cup, as BO'D should have lifted that trophy imo).

seany2929

It's just cruel that he will never win world player of the year

walshb

Consistently, BOD has been a sensational player. I think that folks are just getting so used to him being brilliant, that at times, he is almost taken for granted. He is a national treasure and Ireland's finest all around player, ever. So glad to see him win last night on RTE, he was a deserving winner

PhatPiggins

What I like about BOD is that he's brilliant when playing in both the dominant and the weaker team.

I still think he can win it over the next two seasons

Size=everything

PhatPiggins wrote: »

What I like about BOD is that he's brilliant when playing in both the dominant and the weaker team.

I still think he can win it over the next two seasons

If he couldn't win it after the collesual performances he put put in regularly in 2009 I dont think he ever will.

NWO conspiracy me thinks.

PhatPiggins

Size=everything wrote: »

If he couldn't win it after the collesual performances he put put in regularly in 2009 I dont think he ever will.

NWO conspiracy me thinks.

Maybe, but I think they have a habit of picking players who will be Hall of Famers rather then their performances over the course of 12 months. It seems to me to be more of an award for services over the course of a career.

Eoin

[Jackass] wrote: »

It is an absolute travisty that he will never win a world player of the year award despite being nominated 3 or 4 times now and it's heart braking that the man will not be given that recognition
....
(always bothers me that BO'D resigned as captain of Leinster the season we won the Heineken Cup, as BO'D should have lifted that trophy imo).

I feel more sorry for the players who were part of the Irish, Leinster and Munster squads over the last few years who missed out on the Heineken cup wins and/or Grand Slam. O'Driscoll might have missed out on this one, but he has more important silverware.

padser

[Jackass] wrote: »

Not only is O'Driscoll the best player on the planet right now, by a country mile, but for the last 7 years or so he has consistantly been one of / THE best player on the planet.

In my opinion he is one of the finest players to ever grace the game and is the only Irish player that would make the best World XV of all time.

In terms of what he is to the sport, his legacy is that of what Maradona was to football.... the once in a lifetime genius, the likes of which this country will probably never produce again...It is an absolute travisty that he will never win a world player of the year award despite being nominated 3 or 4 times now and it's heart braking that the man will not be given that recognition...he's been the best player in the world for any particular season on 3 or 4 occasions and should have something on his mantal piece to reflect that.

Redemption would be to see him lift the world cup.

(always bothers me that BO'D resigned as captain of Leinster the season we won the Heineken Cup, as BO'D should have lifted that trophy imo).

Disagree with you Jackass

Not knowing the guy - but relatively sure (as would be true of almost all players) that if you offered him winning the GS and the HC, or winning the world player of the year I'm pretty sure he would choose the former.

Think of Keith Wood - won the world player of the year but never even got a triple crown to his name. That's a travesty.

Would it have been nice for BOD to have picked up the award - yes, would it be worth less than what he already achieved in the season - yes. So in terms of potential travesties - I don't think its up there at the top of the list

funky penguin

Of course BOD would choose the trophies!

But fact is, it wasn't an option of one or the other, he got one and DESERVED the other.

He isn't talking about an option of A or B, he's saying A AND B.

BOD should of had his cake and feckin well crammed it down his throat this year. Legend.

corny

I don't see it as 'an absolute travesty' he didn't win WPOTY. The SH trio think the game starts and stops in their countries and i guarantee you the majority would probably pick Conrad Smith or Stirling Mortlock as the best 13's playing at the moment. Personally i can't see how BOD didn't win it by a country mile but i'd have to value Global Rugby opinion to get upset about it.

thehighground

corny wrote: »

I don't see it as 'an absolute travesty' he didn't win WPOTY. The SH trio think the game starts and stops in their countries and i guarantee you the majority would probably pick Conrad Smith or Stirling Mortlock as the best 13's playing at the moment. Personally i can't see how BOD didn't win it by a country mile but i'd have to value Global Rugby opinion to get upset about it.

Actually the New Zealand Herald has BOD in their team of the decade:

Centre: Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
You have to be pretty good to shut out Australasian greats Tana Umaga and Stirling Mortlock but Irish star O'Driscoll has shone brightly from decade's start to finish. The lynchpin of a golden era by Ireland standards, he is the rare exception - a modern-day British or Irish back packing pace and attacking instinct.

Others to feature were Springboks bruiser Jaque Fourie and clever yet underrated Englishman Will Greenwood.

http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-news/rugby-s-team-decade-3315631

He also makes their shortlist of 3 for Player of the Decade:

Player Of The Decade:
A shortlist of three would probably comprise O'Driscoll, Matfield and McCaw. All are proven matchwinners, carry enormous influence in their teams and rarely play a bad game.
The nod goes to McCaw for an equally dominant career at the next level down with the Crusaders, the rugged No 7 somehow powering on in rugby's most demanding position.

Team selected by NZPA's Daniel Gilhooly.

Doug Howlett also makes Team of the Decade (POC, ROG also get honourable mention - while Jonny Wilkinson doesn't!)

Ciaran-Irl

thehighground wrote: »

Doug Howlett also makes Team of the Decade (POC, ROG also get honourable mention - while Jonny Wilkinson doesn't!)

He does to be fair:

Superboot Jonny Wilkinson had the decade's No 10 jersey to himself until Carter announced his genius from 2004 - about the time England started to crumble. A tough call due to Wilkinson's massive role in the 2003 World Cup triumph but Carter provided an extra dimension to better all but a select few playmakers in rugby history. His 994 points eclipse the 936 of Welsh marksman Neil Jenkins last decade but Carter's influence is so much more than pointscoring.

Gifted Wallaby Stephen Larkham was replaced by another brilliant Brumby, Matt Giteau, while Frederic Michalak was French flair personified and Juan Martin Hernandez was the decade's most exciting Puma. Ireland's Ronan O'Gara and Welshman Stephen Jones served their nations admirably.

twinytwo

corny wrote: »

I don't see it as 'an absolute travesty' he didn't win WPOTY. The SH trio think the game starts and stops in their countries and i guarantee you the majority would probably pick Conrad Smith or Stirling Mortlock as the best 13's playing at the moment. Personally i can't see how BOD didn't win it by a country mile but i'd have to value Global Rugby opinion to get upset about it.

tbh anyone with any brains knows drico is the best 13 in the last 10 years if not ever whatever about Mortlock , smith hasnt got a tap on either of them.

davyjose

eoin wrote: »

I feel more sorry for the players who were part of the Irish, Leinster and Munster squads over the last few years who missed out on the Heineken cup wins and/or Grand Slam. O'Driscoll might have missed out on this one, but he has more important silverware.

Exactly, my heart goes out to guys like Denis Hickie, who gave everything for the Leinster/Ireland fans, and gave the fans some incredible memories, yet has the odd triple crown/magner's league medal.

crisco10

Does this scoring system not mean that the SH teams have an advantage because they play more games?

Assuming they play the same number of end of year tests and autumn internationals, the SH teams have 4 more games each in the trinations compared to the 6n teams.

anonymous_joe

crisco10 wrote: »

Does this scoring system not mean that the SH teams have an advantage because they play more games?

Assuming they play the same number of end of year tests and autumn internationals, the SH teams have 4 more games each in the trinations compared to the 6n teams.

It does indeed.

The Saint

The Independent in the UK has BOD as their best player in the world 2009. It's not the actual prize but at least its recognition by some of the fact.

Linky

A few other Irish player in the top 50 too. Heaslip, Wallace, POC, Kearney and Bowe.

Ash.J.Williams

Brian O'D is the bravest and most fearless player i have ever seen.