Pieter-Steph du Toit was named Player of the Year, while Rassie Erasmus was overlooked for the Coach of the Year at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco on Sunday.
It is the second time Du Toit has picked up the accolade following his success in 2019.
An all-time great 🇿🇦
Pieter-Steph Du Toit is the 2024 Men’s 15s Player of the Year #WorldRugbyAwards pic.twitter.com/LdFdp0C8xX
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) November 24, 2024
The 32-year-old came out ahead of two of his Springbok teammates Eben Etzebeth, who was nominated for a third time, and Cheslin Kolbe, as well as Ireland’s Caelan Doris. He succeeds New Zealander Ardie Savea.
Du Toit, who has 86 caps, joins New Zealand flyhalf Beauden Barrett as a double winner of the award with All Black greats Dan Carter and Richie McCaw winning three times each.
A world champion with the Boks in 2019 and 2023, Du Toit was again in outstanding form in 2024, a key member of the side that won the Rugby Championship for the first time in five years, sweeping the All Blacks and Wallabies to finish the competition with five wins and one defeat.
During the November tour, the Boks easily disposed of Scotland and Wales and also beat England at Twickenham to finish 2024 with an 11-2 record – an especially impressive win-rate given Erasmus routinely made a raft of changes on a depth-building drive as he fielded more than 50 players during the course of the year.
Somehow, this was not enough of an achievement to crown Erasmus Coach of the Year and instead the award went to France Sevens coach Jerome Daret.
France captain Antoine Dupont, who won the 15-a-side award in 2021, became the first man to win both categories when he was named Sevens player of the year for his role in helping France to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
All Blacks flank Wallace Sititi was named Breakthrough Player of the Year, ahead of rookie Bok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Dream Team of the Year included seven Springboks, as Du Toit, Etzebeth and Kolbe were joined by front rowers Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx and centre pair Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
England back Ellie Kildunne won the women’s 15-a-side award with Australia’s Maddison Levi named as best women’s Sevens player.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
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