The longlist of nominees for European Player of the Year has been cut from 15 to five.
Three Leinster players have made the cut which also includes two from fellow Champions Cup finalists Racing 92.
Australia forward Scott Fardy, tighthead Tadhg Furlong and out-half Johnny Sexton have all been recognised for stellar seasons with the province.
Fardy has been hugely influential, in the same mould as Rocky Elsom, on the Leinster pack this season. Furlong and Sexton have both continued their superb form shown with the Lions last summer.
Maxime Machenaud, the scrum-half who captained Racing 92 to victory against Munster on Sunday, has also made the list as has the French side's Fijian second row Leone Nakarawa.
Voting for the award is now open - you can cast yours at EPCRugby.com/epoty. The poll will close following next month's Champions Cup final.
The winner of the award will receive the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy, which was last season won by Owen Farrell for the first time. Rob Kearney was the last Irish player to win the award in 2012.
The longlist of 15 had included two other Irish players - Munster's Conor Murray and Scarlets' Tadhg Beirne.
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
