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Pieter-Steph du Toit, the Springbok flanker and the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year for 2024, is one of five nominees for SA Rugby’s Men’s Player of the Year from the last season. Other nominees include Damian De Allende, Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe, and Ox Nche.
Eben Etzebeth, who has been awarded SA Rugby’s Men’s Player of the Year for the past two years, and Cheslin Kolbe are also vying for the World Rugby Award. Both De Allende and Nche, members of World Rugby’s 2024 Dream Team, have earned nominations due to their outstanding performances while wearing the Green and Gold jersey.
On Friday, SA Rugby announced the nominees across nine categories, chosen by media representatives and members of the coaching staff associated with the governing body. The winners will be revealed early next year, alongside the OUTsurance Referee of the Year, Provincial Women’s Player of the Year, and Associate Member of the Year.
In the women’s category, five nominees for SA Rugby’s Women’s Player of the Year played crucial roles in the Springbok Women’s triumph, contributing to their victory in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup and securing qualification for the Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. The nominees are Aseza Hele, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, and Nadine Roos—all previous award winners—joined by Chumisa Qawe and Vainah Ubisi.
The Young Player of the Year Award sees five players recognized for their immense potential. Four nominees—Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cameron Hanekom, Jaden Hendrikse, and Quan Horn—made their Test debuts in 2024, while the other nominee, Henco van Wyk, represented the SA ‘A’ team two years ago.
Nominees for the Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year Award, who played key roles in South Africa’s qualification and achievement of a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games, include Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids, along with Zain Davids and Ryan Oosthuizen.
For the Junior Springbok Player of the Year Award, Bathobele Hlekani, Jurenzo Julius, and JF van Heerden have been nominated, each making significant contributions to the South African Under-20 team this year.
In the Coach of the Year category, Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus competes with Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens) and Jake White (Vodacom Bulls). Meanwhile, the Springboks and Blitzboks are in contention for Team of the Year alongside the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
In the Carling Currie Cup, the nominees for Player of the Year in the Premier Division are Renzo du Plessis (Fidelity ADT Lions), Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas), and Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks XV). In the First Division Player of the Year category, standout players Ashlon Davids and Thurlow Marsh from the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers join Jayden Bantom from EP.
“Despite facing a challenging year, the strong presence of rugby within South African culture was evident every weekend, and these nominations recognize the elite performers in our Green and Gold teams as well as on the domestic stage,” said Mr. Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby.
“Rugby is inherently a team sport; every Bok player has played a role in our achievements. The five nominated players have been pivotal in our back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins and two Rugby Championship titles, making us the top-ranked team globally for the second year in a row.
“The Boks brought us pride this year, as did our other national teams; the Springbok Women elevated their performance, and the Blitzboks once again clinched an Olympic medal, finishing the demanding season strongly.
“I extend my congratulations to all the players who have made the shortlist following an extraordinary year of rugby. I am grateful to our players, coaches, administrators, referees, sponsors—from international levels down to grassroots—as well as everyone involved in promoting and organizing our sport for their contributions to a thriving 2023 season.”
The nominees are (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 / DHL Stormers)
Cameron Hanekom (Springboks / Vodacom Bulls)
Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks / Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Quan Horn (Springboks / Emirates Lions)
Henco van Wyk (Emirates 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
Hollywoodbets Sharks
Springboks
Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
Rassie Erasmus (Springboks)
Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens)
Jake White (Vodacom Bulls)
Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Renzo du Plessis (Fidelity ADT Lions)
Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas)
Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks XV)
Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Jayden Bantom (Eastern Province)
Ashlon Davids (Sanlam Boland Kavaliers)
Thurlow Marsh (Sanlam Boland Kavaliers)
