RWC: Winners lead Awards Nominations for 2023 – Five players from France’s Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks squad – Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe and Damian Willemse – have been nominated for the SA Men’s Rugby Player of the Year Award. in 2023. Etzebeth, last season’s reigning champion, will face stiff competition for the title.
The nominees, determined through a vote from the media and key stakeholders within the governing body, were announced by SA Rugby in nine categories. Winners, including OUTsurance Referee of the Year and Regional Player of the Year, will be announced early next year.
Etzebeth will face arch-rivals Kolisi and Du Toit, who received the Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2019, respectively. Additionally, Bok scrum anchor Malherbe and former Young Player of the Year (U23) and 2016 Youth Player of the Week winner Willemse are added to the fray. .
Nadine Roos is aiming to defend her Springbok Player of the Year title, facing competition from former winners Aseza Hele and Babalwa Latsha, as well as Libbie Janse van Rensburg and Rights Mkhari.
In the Young Player of the Year category, four of the five nominees were also nominated last year. Ruan Venter who is a new participant joining the competition while the winner is expected to be announced along with other winners early in the year.
Ricardo Duarttee, who was named Rookie of the Year at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Awards, will face Christie Grobbelaar and Shilton van Wyk for the Springbok Men’s Sevens Player of the Year award.
RWC: Winners lead Awards Nominations for 2023
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Siya Kolisi
Frans Malherbe
Damian Willemse
Springbok Women’s Player of the Year
Aseza Hele
Libbie Janse van Rensburg
Babalwa Latsha
Rights Mkhari
Nadine Roos
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks / Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Canan Moodie (Springboks / Vodacom Bulls)
Evan Roos (Springboks / DHL Stormers)
Ruan Venter (Emirates Lions)
Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year
Ricardo Duarttee
Christie Grobbelaar
Shilton van Wyk
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
Corne Beets
Paul de Villiers
Damian Markus
Team of the Year
Toyota Cheetahs (Currie Cup)
Springboks
DHL Stormers (Vodacom URC)
Coach of the Year
John Dobson (DHL Stormers)
Hawies Fourie (Toyota Cheetahs)
Jacques Nienaber (Springboks)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Tinus de Beer (Airlink Pumas)
Ruan Pienaar (Toyota Cheetahs)
Devon Williams (Airlink Pumas)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Keagan Fortune (Valke)
Darian Hock (Boland Kavaliers)
Cameron Hufke (Boland Kavaliers)
And three nominees for the Springbok Youth Player of the Year award are team captain Paul de Villiers, who led the SA U20s to a bronze medal at the Rugby World U20 Championship, alongside Corne Beets and Damian Markus .
The Coach and Team of the Year categories are a head-to-head battle between Jacques Nienaber and the Springboks, John Dobson and the DHL Stormers, and Hawies Fourie and the Toyota Cheetahs.
In the Currie Cup side, Toyota Cheetahs’ Ruan Pienaar takes on Airlink Pumas duo of Devon Williams and Tinus de Beer for the Premier League prize, while Boland duo of Cameron Hufke and Darian Hock take on Valke’s Keagan Fortune . for a first class price.
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