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Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park and Jordie Barrett (all pictured) are the three nominees from Leinster. Ben Brady/INPHO
Rugby
Leinster trio among eight nominees for Champions Cup Player of the Year
Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park and Jordie Barrett are listed among nominees from Bordeaux, Toulouse and Northampton.
LEINSTER TRIO CAELAN Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park and Jordie Barrett are among the eight nominees for the Investec Champions Cup Player of the Year award for 2024/25.
Provincial and Irish national-team captain Doris, scrum-half Gibson Park, and All Black centre Barrett are shortlisted alongside Bordeaux Begles duo Maxime Lucu and Damian Penaud, Toulouse duo Jack Willis and Thomas Ramos, and Northampton Saints’ young England international Henry Pollock.
🚨 Your @Investec Player of the Year Nominees 🚨
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 23, 2025
🔹 Jordie Barrett
🔹 Caelan Doris
🔹 Jamison Gibson-Park
🔹 Maxime Lucu
🔹 Damian Penaud
🔹 Henry Pollock
🔹 Thomas Ramos
🔹 Jack Willis
VOTE NOW ⬇️#InvestecChampionsCup #IPOTY2025
Doris, Gibson-Park and Barrett have been instrumental in Leinster’s unbeaten Champions Cup campaign to date with each of them featuring in all six of the province’s matches, including their recent knockout games against Harlequins and Glasgow respectively which Leinster won by a combined score of 114-0.
Bordeaux and France winger Penaud has scored a remarkable 12 tries in his own six appearances, with the top seeds having averaged over 50 points per game so far this season. Bordeaux are yet to score fewer than 40 points en route to their semi-final meeting with Toulouse, with scrum-half Lucu recently starring in consecutive knockout wins over Ulster and Munster.
English back row Willis and French fullback Ramos have been ever-presents throughout the six-time champions’ defence of their trophy to this point, while the 20-year-old Pollock has scored six tries in as many games ahead of Northampton’s semi-final rematch with Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in two weekends’ time.
Leinster’s Josh van der Flier was the last Irish winner of the award in 2022, a year in which he was also crowned World Player of the Year.
Fans can vote for their Champions Cup Player of the Year on the official EPCR website (there is a short registration process which includes the option to enter a draw for two VIP tickets to next season’s Champions Cup final).
The winner of the award will be announced after this season’s Champions Cup final in Cardiff on 24 May.
Written by Gavan Casey and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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