English Rugby
Foden scoops double nomination
Scrum.com
April 23, 2009
Brothers Delon and Steffon Armitage pose after becoming the 9th set of siblings to appear in the same England side, England v Italy, Six Nations Championship, Twickenham, England, February 7, 2009
Delon (left) and Steffon Armitage pose after becoming the ninth pair of siblings to appear in the same England side against Italy in this year's Six Nations © Getty Images
Enlarge

Northampton's Ben Foden is in line for two honours at this year's Professional Rugby Players' Association (PRA) Awards after securing a notable double nomination.

The Saints flyer, who made his England debut during this year's Six Nations is up for both the Players' Player of the Year and the Young Player awards at the traditional end of season ceremony. The 23-year-old's achievement follows that of London Wasps' Danny Cipriani last year, when the fly-half went on to win the Young Player Award 2008.

In the prestigious Players' Player of the Year category, Foden will vie with London Irish duo Delon Armitage and Seilala Mapusua, Sale Sharks' Juan Martin Fernandez and newcastle' Tom May. Joining him on the shortlist for the Young Player of the Year are Harlequins duo Danny Care and Jordan Turner-Hall, London Irish's Steffon Armitage and Leicester's Tom Croft.

Delon Armitage, England's outstanding player of the season, was delighted to receive a nomination. "It's a tremendous honour to be nominated by my peers for this award," he said, "and for Steffon and I both to be nominated is a fabulous surprise and a proud moment for our family. This has been a remarkable season for me, which will hopefully continue beyond this weekend, and to be nominated alongside the outstanding names on this list is a privilege I am both proud and humble to receive."

Steffon was equally delighted to be in the running for the award named after the former Harlequins scrum-half Nick Duncombe. "This season has been better than I dared to dream, and to be recognised by our fellow players for these awards is a huge honour. We are both hoping to finish the club season strongly for London Irish, and to receive the news of these nominations is a great boost for us."

The winners will be announced at the PRA Computacenter Rugby Players' Awards Dinner on May 13.

Damian Hopley, PRA CEO said, "The coming weeks promise some exciting rugby: qualification for the Guinness Premiership play offs is the closest in the history of the competition, and the build up to the Lions tour of South Africa has begun with this week's squad announcement. With last year's Players' Player, Riki Flutey on the plane to South Africa, and several of this year's nominees eyeing a place in the Guinness Premiership final, it speaks volumes for the high quality of our nominees.

"The winners will be announced in front of an audience of stars from the Guinness Premiership and the International game next month, on what promises to be another outstanding evening in the rugby calendar. It is an opportunity for the PRA and rugby supporters to show our thanks and appreciation to the players for their efforts this season, and to raise some much needed funds for deserving player causes.

The nominations in full are:

PRA Computacenter Players' Player of the Year
Delon Armitage - London Irish
Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe - Sale Sharks
Ben Foden - Northampton Saints
Seilala Mapusua - London Irish
Tom May - Newcastle Falcons

PRA Norman Broadbent Young Player of the Year - The Nick Duncombe Memorial Trophy
Steffon Armitage - London Irish
Danny Care - Harlequins
Tom Croft - Leicester Tigers
Ben Foden - Northampton Saints
Jordan Turner-Hall - Harlequins

Other awards to be presented are:
PRA Special Merit Award
HSBC Hall of Fame Induction
Towergate tlc Blyth Spirit Award
The Sunday Times Try of the Year

© Scrum.com

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.