Clermont Auvergne full-back Nick Abendanon has been named as the European Player of the Year.

The 28-year-old produced an outstanding individual performance in last Saturday's final defeat to Toulon at Twickenham and has been rewarded, despite coming out on the losing side.

The Englishman started all nine of Clermont's European Champions Cup matches and topped the charts for the number of carries, metres made, clean breaks and defenders beaten throughout the tournament.

Abendanon had been nominated alongside team-mate Fritz Lee, Toulon's Steffon Armitage, Saracens' Billy Vunipola and Leinster's Jamie Heaslip.