Paul O’Connell awarded 2015 RBS Player of the Championship

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 3^rdplace was a hotly contested affair with just 0.9% of the votes separating Ireland’s rising star Robbie Henshaw (3^rd with 7750 votes) and Wales’s Dan Biggar (4^th with 7681 votes). Italy’s talisman Sergio Parisse was rewarded for his commanding performances, finishing 5^th with 7% of the votes, just ahead of England’s star player Ben Youngs in 6^th 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 %