O'Driscoll and Heaslip nominated for World Player of the Year award
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll and number eight Jamie Heaslip have been nominated for the IRB World Player of the Year.
There are a total of seven nominees, namely Australia's Matt Giteau, Tom Croft of England, South Africans Francois Steyn and Fourie du Preez, Richie McCaw of New Zealand and the Ireland duo.
"The IRB Player of the Year Award is the ultimate accolade for a player and takes into account performances in all internationals played during the year, including the RBS Six Nations, British & Irish Lions Test Series, Tri Nations and the June and November Tests," said IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.
"The list of past winners includes the iconic names of the decade - Jonny Wilkinson, Schalk Burger, Richie McCaw, Fabien Galthié, Dan Carter, Bryan Habana and Keith Wood have all been worthy recipients of the Award. Richie McCaw could become the first player to receive the accolade twice."
The winner will be announced at the end of the November international window.
Previous Winners:
2001 - Keith Wood
2002 - Fabien Galthié
2003 - Jonny Wilkinson
2004 - Schalk Burger
2005 - Dan Carter
2006 - Richie McCaw
2007 - Bryan Habanna
2008 - Shane Williams
