I'm as stunned as when he didn't win it last year. Shane Williams. But to be fair as I pointed out previously it includes last year's Autumn Internationals which confuses things slightly. They also said something along the lines of it's purely a points decision on the 3-2-1 criteria per game.
No doubt he has been the All Blacks best player over the past 12 months-even the games they lost he was still among the best ABs on the field. What a player has won isn't considered in the award, nor are non-international performances.
Thought Du Preez would get it personally but I can't recall how he went on last years Autumn tour so maybe McCaw had a points lead from that. Oddly enough Bap I think Brussow and Steyn may have cost FDP the award-it's only 3-2-1 each game and Brussow surely got some of those points in the Lions games and the TNs games in South Africa. Steyn must have picked up a few too by bagging so many kicks.
That sort of points squeeze you often get by playing in a more dominant side is the reason 4 of last years 5 nominees laughably came from Wales/Italy/Scotland.
Plus having it as November to October rather than a calendar year makes things fairly messy as last years tours are a distant memory by the time the award is announced.
On a calendar year basis it should have been McCaw 2008 and Du Preez 2009.
Leinster/Heineken Cup doesn't matter, a fact so many people seem to be overlooking. Even if it was taken into account FDP won everything he could during the same period anyway, and winning the S14 is tougher than Heineken Cup-better teams, players, backing up week after week and more travel.
And remember the timeline, November 2008-October 2009. So Pocock for example would already have a few points in the bin for next years award.
If looked at from a subjective point of view rather than the points system, it still doesn't make O'Driscoll's case any stronger. He got Player of the Tournament in the 6 Nations, but that's a level down on Tri Nations where FDP, Brussow, Matfield all shone for SA and McCaw clearly was NZs best player. I didn't see much in last years Autumn Internationals to help his cause, and while he had a good Lions series he only played 2 of 3 games and was facing the weakest part of the South African side in Adi Jacobs, a player who shouldn't have been picked ahead of Jacque Fourie but for skin colour. I'd fancy most International centres to look good vs Adi Jacobs.
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