IRUPA awards ceremony planned for May

The Irish Rugby Union Players Association (IRUPA) has announced that the second O2 IRUPA Rugby Players Awards ceremony will again take place at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on May 19.

The awards ceremony will honour players who made their mark in the 2003/2004 rugby season.

Money raised through the award ceremony will go towards the IRUPA Injured Players Fund.

IRUPA Players Player of the Year 2003, Malcolm O'Kelly, said: "Being voted best player by your peers is the highest accolade for any professional sportsperson and it is an honour I hold greatly."

There will be six award categories culminating in the main award being the O2 IRUPA Players Player of the Year 2004, for the player who has excelled above all others in provincial and/or international matches.

The six award categories are

- Players Player of the Year

- Unsung Hero of the Year

- Hall of Fame Award

- Young Player of the Year

- Try of the Year

- People's Player of the Year

All the professional rugby players who are members of IRUPA will cast their votes for the award categories.

Players are not allowed to vote for players from their own province.

The votes will then be counted and there will be three nominations for each category, except the Hall of Fame Award.

For this award, two former greats will be nominated by the IRUPA Players Executive Committee and then approved by all the members. They will then be inducted into the IRUPA Hall of Fame.

The O2 People's Player of the Year Award is a new addition to the award ceremony that gives the public a chance to vote for their player of the year via text in the weeks coming up to the event.