A photograph taken by Matthew Impey has been unveiled as the IRB/Emirates Airline Rugby Photograph of the Year 2008. The picture was chosen from over 200 entries from professional sports photographers and amateur enthusiasts under the category the Spirit of Rugby.
The winning image, entitled ‘Gladiator’, captures the emotions of former France and London Wasps captain Raphaël Ibanez as he celebrates Wasps’ first try of the Guinness Premiership final at Twickenham in May 2008.
“Rugby is a sport with a rich history and a strong tradition of fair play, respect, camaraderie, teamwork and friendship. These qualities remain as important today as ever, and therefore the Spirit of Rugby was an appropriate category for this year’s competition,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
“Matthew’s photograph encapsulates all those qualities - all that is good about the Game and is also a magnificent image. It is a deserving recipient of the IRB/Emirates Rugby Photograph of the Year,” added Lapasset.
The winner was selected by a panel of judges including Paul Morgan (Editor, Rugby World), Dave Rogers (Getty Images), Barry Newcombe (Sports Journalists’ Association), Bob Aylott (Features Editor, Amateur Photographer), Dominic Rumbles (IRB Communications Manager), Lynda Glennon (IRB Graphic Designer), Toby Trotman (Vision Sports Publishing) and Joelle Watkins (Corporate Communications Manager, Emirates Airline). The panel selected a shortlist of six images before finally confirming Impey’s picture as the winner.
“This year’s IRB/Emirates Airline Rugby Photograph of the Year raised the bar once again. We had a record entry of over 200, while entries were received from all over the world including Brazil, Fiji, Japan, Russia and Jamaica. The standard of entry was again high and it was really tough selecting a shortlist of six, let alone deciding on the winner,” said panel convenor Paul Morgan.
“Initially I was unsure how good the picture would be as there was only a mass of bodies when Tom Rees went over for the try. However, up came Raphaël Ibanez, rising from the melee to celebrate like a Roman Gladiator. It made for the perfect picture and totally captures the emotion of the day and of the contest,” said the winning photographer.
His prize is an all inclusive trip for two to the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens later this month, the opening Tournament of the record-breaking IRB Sevens World Series, courtesy of Emirates Airline.
The winning entry and the five runners-up are published within the IRB World Rugby Yearbook 2009.
