Bundee Aki and Andy Farrell nominated for World Rugby awards

Bundee Aki has been nominated for World Rugby Men's Player of the Year, while Andy Farrell is on the shortlist for the coach of the year prize.

Aki is included on a four-man list of nominees for the top prize at the 2023 World Rugby awards, which will take place in Paris on Sunday.

The 33-year-old was in inspired form at the Rugby World Cup in Paris, playing every minute of every game while scoring five tries.

The Connacht centre was also voted player of the match in the Pool B wins against both Tonga and South Africa.

Aki was the standout player in Ireland's World Cup campaign, and still leads the tournament in carries ahead of the final, while only Will Jordan and Damian Penaud made more clean breaks. The New Zealand native also featured in all five games of Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam campaign, and moved past 50 Test caps this year.

He faces stiff competition for the award, with France captain and former winner Antoine Dupont, New Zealand number 8 Ardie Savea and South African second row Eben Etzebeth included on the shortlist.

Meanwhile, Farrell has been nominated for the coach of the year award for the second time in a row.

While Ireland ultimately fell at the quarter-final hurdle at the World Cup, it brought an end to a run of 17 straight wins, 12 of which came in 2023.

The Six Nations winning coach missed out on the top prize to New Zealand women's head coach Wayne Smith last year. He's joined on the 2023 shortlist by South Africa's Jacques Nienaber, New Zealand's Ian Foster and Simon Raiwalui of Fiji.

There's also an Irish nominee for Men's International Try of the Year, with Hugo Keenan's score against France included, with the Ireland full-back finishing off a sensational strike-play from a goalline drop-out, which