When taking a look at all the nominees for the SA Rugby awards, there is no doubt that it is the prized accolade of Men’s Player of the Year where it is the most difficult to predict a winner.
World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit might be the obvious frontrunner, but there is very little to separate his performances from those of Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe.
Damian de Allende and Ox Nche were also two of the unsung heroes from the 2024 season, and many fans would probably love to see the affable loosehead prop actually walk away with the top prize.
The nominees – as voted for by members of the media and coaching staff from the governing body – were unveiled in nine categories, and the winners will be named early this year.
Reminder of the SA Rugby awards nominees (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
Damian De Allende
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Cheslin Kolbe
Ox Nche
SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year
Aseza Hele
Libbie Janse van Rensburg
Chumisa Qawe
Nadine Roos
Vainah Ubisi
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Springboks / Stormers)
Cameron Hanekom (Springboks / Bulls)
Jordan Hendrikse (Springboks / Sharks)
Quan Horn (Springboks / Lions)
Henco van Wyk (Lions)
Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year
Selvyn Davids
Zain Davids
Ryan Oosthuizen
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
Bathobele Hlekani
Jurenzo Julius
JF van Heerden
Team of the Year
Sharks
Springboks
Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
Rassie Erasmus (Springboks)
Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens)
Jake White (Bulls)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Renzo du Plessis (Lions)
Clinton Swart (Pumas)
Vincent Tshituka (Sharks XV)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Jayden Bantom (Eastern Province)
Ashlon Davids (Boland Kavaliers)
Thurlow Marsh (Boland Kavaliers)
Other awards to be handed out in addition to the above will be the annual Referee of the Year, Provincial Women’s Player of the Year and Associate Member of the Year.
“While the past year was not without its challenges, we saw again over most weekends how deeply ingrained rugby is in the South African psyche, and these nominations celebrate the best of the best in our teams in Green and Gold and on the domestic front,” said Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby.
“Rugby is a team sport and every player that has represented the Boks has played his part in our successes, but the five players who are nominated this year have been at the core of the side that have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups and two Rugby Championship titles, while they have finished the year as the top-ranked team in the world for a second consecutive year.
“We had a great year with the Boks doing us proud yet again, but so too our other national teams, with the Springbok Women lifting their game and the Blitzboks bringing home an Olympic medal yet again, finishing off a tough season on a high note.
“I would like to congratulate all the players who made the shortlists for their nominations after a wonderful year of rugby, and I would like to thank all our players, coaches, administrators, referees and sponsors – from international down to grassroots levels – as well as everyone else who works hard at promoting and organising our game for their roles in a very successful 2023 season.”
What were your highlights from the past season?
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/reminder-all-the-players-nominated-for-sa-rugby-awards/
