Investec Champions Cup “Out of the Ordinary” Photograph of the Year winner crowned
- EPCR Media
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A stunning image of Matthieu Jalibert scoring for Union Bordeaux Bègles against Stade Toulousain has been named the Investec Champions Cup “Out of the Ordinary” Photograph of the Year.
Captured by Inpho photographer James Crombie, the photograph was selected from more than 50 entries by a judging panel drawn from across the rugby world.
The out-of-the-ordinary moment, captured during the all-French Investec Champions Cup quarter-final clash, features Jalibert’s impressive score following his own chip and chase, as his team-mate Arthur Retière regains his footing.
The judging panel, composed of last year’s winner Alain Mounic (L’Equipe), former England captain and Premier Sports pundit Chris Robshaw, EPCR Head of Match Officials Tony Spreadbury and two students from the Investec-supported School of Hard Knocks programme, reviewed over 50 anonymised entries.
The runner-up spot was awarded to Adrian Dennis (AFP), capturing the moment RC Toulon’s Mathis Ferté flew over the tryline during an attempt to score as the French side beat Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm in Round 4.
Three photographers received Highly Commended accolades:
Billy Stickland (Inpho), Union Bordeaux Bègles v Stade Toulousain
Laszlo Geczo (Inpho), Section Paloise v Northampton Saints
Romain Perroceau (AFP), Union Bordeaux Bègles v Bath Rugby
Speaking after helping select the winners, Mounic said: “It was a pleasure to be part of the judging panel to select the winners of Investec’s ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Photograph of the Year competition.
“The quality of submissions was extremely high and it is amazing to see how talented photographers across the game capture some of the most crucial and defining moments that occur during matches.”
Tim Burnell, Chief Marketing Officer, UK & International, Investec Bank plc, said: “This is the third year of the Investec Champions Cup ‘Out of the Ordinary’ photo competition and the standard of entries continues to impress us.
“We were thrilled by the creativity and technical quality displayed across this year’s submissions and we are incredibly grateful to the photographers who bring to life the passion, skill and intensity of this world-class tournament.”
Robshaw added: “It was a pleasure to be involved in judging this year’s Investec ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Photography Competition. The standout images really captured the intensity, passion and pace of a rugby match, and the calibre of the entries was incredible and made selecting a winner very difficult – so congratulations to James and the four other shortlisted photographers. They all do an incredible job.”
Students from education charity School of Hard Knocks, introduced to the sport through an Investec-supported programme, said: “We had a fantastic day and it was great to be part of the selection team. We have a keen interest in photography and judging these images provided a really great experience for us.”
Spreadbury concluded: “Congratulations to James on his image being voted Investec’s ‘Out of the Ordinary’ Photograph of the Year. It is an evocative picture capturing the determination, athleticism and fun of rugby all in one shot. The calibre of entries was first-class and we had a thoroughly enjoyable – if difficult – time discussing the images and narrowing them down to our final winning, runner-up and highly commended shots. Congratulations to those five photographers.”
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