Springboks legend Victor Matfield has revealed two frontrunners for the World Rugby Men\u2019s Player of the Year Award ahead of the November internationals.<\/p>\n
The Autumn Nations Series will be a last chance saloon for players to stake their claim for the title of the best player in the world, which Pieter-Steph du Toit currently holds.<\/p>\n
The Springboks back-rower won the award for the second time last year, but could relinquish the title in 2025 with Matfield letting slip that two British and Irish Lions<\/a> players are \u2018probably\u2019 the standout candidates.<\/p>\n Matfield<\/a> is part of the committee that will decide the winner of the award, having done so previously with fellow legends Jacques Burger, Drew Mitchell, Sergio Parisse and Kieran Read, to name just a few.<\/p>\n Leading candidates for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award<\/p>\n The former second-rower disclosed two of the frontrunners, as things stand, on the Rivals<\/a> podcast when discussing the lack of change in the Ireland squad ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.<\/p>\n Ireland boss Andy Farrell has stuck with a large Leinster contingent in his squad despite the province\u2019s struggles early in the season and Munster\u2019s thumping victory in the week of the announcement. Ulster won their opening four games of the season before falling to a defeat to the Lions.<\/p>\n There has been an outcry from the fans once again due to the lack of other representation, but Matfield sees it as a positive.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to be double World Cup champions, you need to give guys opportunities,\u201d he joked with former Ireland winger Andrew Trimble, also on the podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good what\u2019s happening in Ireland. If you look at the last few years, Leinster were just on another level to the other club teams.<\/p>\n \u201cMunster weren\u2019t performing at the level that they wanted to; Ulster and Connacht weren\u2019t there either. All of a sudden, there are new players coming through, new people pushing for positions. For Irish Rugby, it could be a good thing. There are a few of these guys who will probably be going to their third or fourth World Cup now, and you need those new guys to be coming through.\u201d<\/p>\n Trimble had just sung Munster captain Tadhg Beirne\u2019s<\/a> praises before Matfield weighed in, and the former Springbok added even more praise before letting slip that the British and Irish Lions star and teammate from the tour to Australia, Finn Russell, are two frontrunners for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award.<\/p>\n \u201cA guy like Tadhg Beirne is just unbelievable,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m on that committee that selects the player of the year, and he\u2019s definitely right up there, probably with Finn Russell, at this stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are probably the two guys standing out the most.\u201d<\/p>\n Bernard Jackman: Jack Crowley deserves start against All Blacks after \u2018coming of age\u2019 performance<\/a><\/p>\n