Less than three weeks remain of RWC 2003 and the rugby community has many different views on who will lift the Webb Ellis Cup at its conclusion.
But this is not the only question being asked because Sydney is abuzz with talk of who will walk away with the coveted awards at the third annual IRB International Rugby Awards Ceremony.
A full house is expected at Sydney’s Wharf 8 on Sunday, 23 November for the exclusive black tie dinner, which for the first time ever is being opened to the corporate public.
A select number of tables are available to the event - for information and availability contact Ed Sanders at Frontiers Group on +61 2 8907 9426 or on ed.sanders@frontiersgroup.com.au.
A gathering of some of the greatest names in the rugby world, together with a throng of celebrities and local and international dignitaries, will celebrate the best rugby performances from around the globe in the past year and find out the answers to some of the most talked about questions in the rugby community - who has been the best player over the course of the entire year ... the best team ... the best coach?
“There will be a huge contingent of players from RWC 2003, but sporting ambassadors from all over the world will also be among the 900 strong gathering at the spectacular Wharf 8,” said Chris Rea, IRB Head of Communications.
“This year in particular the panel has had an extremely difficult task in just whittling down the huge pool of talent and ability to a manageable number of nominees. As to who will actually take out the awards, I can't even begin to speculate.”
Distinguished panel
A highly distinguished international panel of former players was formed to select the winners of each award.
The panel is: Paul Ackford (England), Gerald Davies (Wales) Sean Fitzpatrick (New Zealand), Simon Poidevin (Australia), Hugo Porta (Argentina), Gareth Rees (Canada), Philippe Sella (France), Fergus Slattery (Ireland), David Sole (Scotland) and Chester Williams (South Africa).
The pinnacle for players
The ceremony, which will be covered live on Fox Sports and hosted by Greg Martin, culminates in the presentation of the awards to the IRB Team of the Year and the International Player of the Year in association with Heineken.
In addition to the traditional awards, this year fans from all over the world have been given the opportunity to vote for their team of RWC 2003 on the IRB’s official Tournament website rugbyworldcup.com as part of the Visa Fan-tastic XV initiative. Log on to www.fantastic.rugbyworldcup.com.