- World Rugby launches a brand new category for this year’s awards: RWC Best Match Moment
- Exclusive partnership with Facebook enables fans around the world to cast their vote
World Rugby and Facebook have today announced an exclusive partnership to allow fans the chance to vote on a brand new category at the World Rugby Awards – the Rugby World Cup Best Match Moment.
There have been some truly unforgettable moments in Rugby World Cup history, and 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 cast a vote, fans need to post about their standout memory on Facebook and include the hashtag associated with that Rugby World Cup moment.
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 16:00 on 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.
A video montage of the shortlisted moments can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/worldrugby/posts/10153253568113123.
The winners of the World Rugby Awards will be announced at a star-studded ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London on Sunday, 1 November. For more on the World Rugby Awards, visit www.worldrugby.org/awards.
Fans can stay close to the action throughout RWC 2015 by liking Rugby World Cup and World Rugby on Facebook. Plus, there’s action from all 20 participating teams who have been using their Facebook pages to bring fans behind the scenes, share exclusive video content, and provide match updates.
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.
Top 10 rugby players on Facebook*
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)
*Players with verified Facebook pages, ranked by number of likes
The Teams on Facebook
Pool A
Australia
England
Fiji
Uruguay
Wales
Pool B
Japan
Samoa
Scotland
South Africa
USA
Pool C
Argentina
Georgia
Namibia
New Zealand
Tonga
