Remember Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop kick in the 2003 Rugby World Cup? Who could forget? Although England is out of this year’s tournament the moment that broke the heart of every Australian has now been nominated for a World Rugby Award in its first ever fan-voted category.
There have been many truly unforgettable moments in Rugby World Cup history so luckily Australians can take to Facebook to ensure that the Poms don’t secure another victory to hold over The Wallabies. For the first time fans will be able to select their favourite from the shortlist, which includes standout team and individual performances from four tournaments spanning the last 20 years to celebrate the game going professional in 1995.
The shortlisted moments are:
- Japan’s historic 34-32 defeat of South Africa at RWC 2015
- Jonny Wilkinson’s RWC 2003-winning drop goal against Australia
- France’s comeback to beat the All Blacks at RWC 1999
- Jonah Lomu’s bruising performance against England at RWC 1995
To relive the glorious moments fans can check out this video roundup and to cast a vote, fans can post about their standout memory on Facebook and include the hashtag associated with that Rugby World Cup moment.
[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/rugbyworldcup/videos/10153726901517174/?permPage=1/” width=”550″/]
The hashtags are:
- #RWCJAPAN for Japan beating South Africa
- #RWCJONNY for Wilkinson’s last-minute drop goal
- #RWCFRANCE for France’s victory over New Zealand
- #RWCLOMU for Lomu’s performance against England
Voting is now open and fans have until Saturday, 31 October – the kick-off time of the Rugby World Cup 2015 final – to have their say. Fans can vote once per day during this period. If someone posts more than once a day, only one vote will be counted.
The winners of the World Rugby Awards will be announced at a star-studded ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London on Sunday, 1 November.
Fans have been getting in on the action too and joining the conversation on Facebook by posting about the match they are watching. They are showing their support by tapping the smiley icon before sharing a post, selecting “watching,” and choosing Rugby World Cup or the specific match they are viewing at the time. There’s even the option to select the flag of your favourite team’s country or post with the RWC 2015 official match ball.
Ever wondered what a rugby Fantasy Football team might look like according to Facebook fans? The platform has also released the Top 10 rugby players according to number of fan likes.
1. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
2. Quade Cooper (Australia)
3. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
4. Bryan Habana (South Africa)
5. Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)
6. Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
7. David Pocock (Australia)
8. Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
9. Rob Kearney (Ireland)
10. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand)
