Two Scotland players nominated for European player of the year award
Recognition for players who delivered in pool stage of Champions Cup
Jack Dempsey and Finn Russell have been nominated for the 2026 Investec Player of the Year award on the back of some outstanding performances during the pool stage of this season’s Investec Champions Cup.
Dempsey, the Glasgow Warriors No 8, helped the Scotstoun club win all four of their matches in Pool 1 with a bonus point, giving them the maximum 20 points. The run of victories included a 28-21 triumph over six-time European cup winners Toulouse and Sunday’s 28-3 success over three-time winners Saracens.
Glasgow won Pool 1 and will play the Bulls at Scotstoun in the round of 16. The Warriors were one of only two clubs - along with Union Bordeaux Begles - to rack up 20 points in the pool stage.
Dempsey’s Scotland team-mate Finn Russell has also been nominated following his strong performances for Bath who won Pool 2. The English champions thrashed Edinburgh 63-10 on Friday having previously beaten Munster and Castres.
No Scottish winner
Dempsey and Russell are among 10 players nominated for the prestigious award which has been won previously by the likes of Damian Penaud, Antoine Dupont, Gregory Alldritt, Josh van der Flier, Leone Nakarawa, Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Jonny Wilkinson. No Scottish player has won it.
Bordeaux winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the tournament’s leading try-scorer with six, has earned a nomination this year alongside team-mate Matthieu Jalibert. Bath are also represented by Alfie Barbeary, the No 8 who was player of the match against Edinburgh.
The other players in the running for the award are Saracens’ Tom Willis, Toulouse’s Thomas Ramos, Leinster’s Caelan Doris, Northampton Saints’ George Hendy and DHL Stormers’ Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The judging panel is made up of former players and pundits, including Simon Zebo (Premier Sports, former Munster Rugby and Racing 92 player), Dimitri Yachvili (France Télévisions, EPCR Challenge Cup winner), Elma Smit (sports presenter and producer), Ryan Wilson (Premier Sports, former Glasgow Warriors player) and Topsy Ojo (Premier Sports, former London Irish player).
A shortlist of five players will be determined through a combination of public votes and the judges’ selections, before fans are invited to vote again to decide the 2026 Investec Player of the Year alongside the judges.
Public voting is open at epcrugby.com/ipoty and will remain open until the end of the quarter-finals on Sunday, 12 April.
The winner, who will receive the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy, will be announced following the Investec Champions Cup Final at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium on Saturday, May 23.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.