Paul O’Connell awarded 2015 RBS Player of the Championship

author
1 minute, 45 seconds Read

Paul O’Connell awarded 2015 RBS Player of the Championship

Friday 27th March 2015 – Less than a week after lifting the RBS 6 Nations trophy Ireland captain Paul O’Connell has been awarded the RBS Player of the Championship. Securing over 26% of the public vote the Ireland number 5 received the backing of 18,842 fans.

This unique shortlist is decided through a combination of match statistics, analysing the best performing players across a set range of criteria, and a public vote. The combination of the two processes should ensure the 12 man shortlist is a true reflection of the greatest players throughout the Championship.

Wales’s Alun-Wyn Jones came in second with 19% of the vote, a nod to his heroic performance in the Welsh win against Ireland in Cardiff. The race for 3rd  place was a hotly contested affair with just 0.9% of the votes separating Ireland’s rising star Robbie Henshaw (3rd with 7750 votes) and Wales’s Dan Biggar (4th with 7681 votes). Italy’s talisman Sergio Parisse was rewarded for his commanding performances, finishing 5th with 7% of the votes, just ahead of England’s star player Ben Youngs in 6th with 6% of the votes.

The Irish lock who made his 101st appearance during the Championship commented: “I’m delighted to receive the RBS Player of the Championship Trophy. When you see the names that have gone before, you realise what a great honour it is. I’m very grateful for all the supporters who voted for me”.

Players at every RBS 6 Nations match this year were awarded (or deducted) points based upon a number of different performance categories which cover all aspects of the game. These categories were proportionately weighted based on the different positions by an algorithm created by RBS 6 Nations statisticians.

 

RBS 6 Nations Player of the Championship Shortlist

               

Player Votes % of vote
O’Connell, Paul 18842 26.73 %
Jones, Alun-Wyn 13645 19.36 %
Henshaw, Robbie 7750 10.99 %
Biggar, Dan 7681 10.90 %
Parisse, Sergio 4845 6.87 %
Youngs, Ben 4778 6.78 %
Hogg, Stuart 3671 5.21 %
Joseph, Jonathan 2669 3.79 %
Murray, Conor 2588 3.67 %
Ford, George 2349 3.33 %
Gray, Jonny 1454 2.06 %
Vunipola, Billy 216 0.31 %

Total Votes:  70,488

RBS Player of the Championship – previous winners

2014 – Mike Brown

2013 – Leigh Halfpenny

2012 – Dan Lydiate

2011 – Andrea Masi

2010 – Tommy Bowe

2009 – Brian O’Driscoll

2008 – Shane Williams

2007 – Brian O’Driscoll

2006 – Brian O’Driscoll

Similar Posts