Saints star Hendy among nominees for prestigious European prize
Saints star George Hendy has been nominated for one of the most prestigious individual honours in world rugby: the 2026 Investec player of the year award.
The 23-year-old back has been a key part of Saints’ European campaign so far, helping them to seal their spot in the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup for a third consecutive season. They will host Castres Olympique in the round of 16 on the first weekend of April.
Hendy's performances on the Champions Cup stage have seen him claim both the decisive try in Saints' opening victory at Section Paloise and a hat-trick of scores in his player of the match performance against Vodacom Bulls in round two.
Hendy’s is one of 10 names on the longlist for this season’s award and follows Saints team-mate Henry Pollock in his nomination, with the British & Irish Lions back row forward making it onto the shortlist for the coveted prize last term.
The nominees were selected by a renowned judging panel following the conclusion of the pool stages of the Investec Champions Cup.
Public voting is now open at https://www.epcrugby.com/champions-cup/content/world-class-nominees-revealed-for-2026-investec-player-of-the-year-award and will remain open until the end of the quarter-finals on Sunday, April 12.
A shortlist of five players will then be determined through a combination of public votes and the judges’ selections, before fans are invited to vote again to decide the 2026 Investec player of the year alongside the judges.
The winner, who will receive the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy, will be announced following the Investec Champions Cup final at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium on Saturday, May 23.
2026 Investec player of the year nominees: Alfie Barbeary (Bath Rugby), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors), Caelan Doris (Leinster Rugby), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), George Hendy (Saints), Matthieu Jalibert (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Thomas Ramos (Stade Toulousain), Finn Russell (Bath Rugby), Tom Willis (Saracens).
Previous winners: 2025: Damian Penaud (Union Bordeaux Bègles), 2024: Antoine Dupont (Stade Toulousain), 2023: Gregory Alldritt (Stade Rochelais), 2022: Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby), 2021: Antoine Dupont (Stade Toulousain), 2020: Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs), 2019: Alex Goode (Saracens), 2018: Leone Nakarawa (Racing 92), 2017: Owen Farrell (Saracens), 2016: Maro Itoje (Saracens), 2015: Nick Abendanon (ASM Clermont Auvergne), 2014: Steffon Armitage (RC Toulon), 2013: Jonny Wilkinson (RC Toulon), 2012: Rob Kearney (Leinster Rugby), 2011: Sean O’Brien (Leinster Rugby), 2010: Ronan O’Gara (Munster Rugby – best player of first 15 years of European club rugby).