Etzebeth – SA Rugby’s Men’s Player of the Year in the past two seasons – and Kolbe were also nominated for the World Rugby Award, while De Allende and Nche, both members of World Rugby’s 2024 Dream Team, added their names to a star-studded shortlist for the top award in South Africa with consistently good performances in the Green and Gold.
SA Rugby announced the nominees – as voted for by members of the media and coaching staff from the governing body – in nine categories on Friday. The winners will be named early next year, along with the annual OUTsurance Referee of the Year, Provincial Women’s Player of the Year and Associate Member of the Year.
The five players nominated for SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year all played key roles helping the Springbok Women win the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup and qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2025 in England. They are Aseza Hele, Libbie Janse van Rensburg and Nadine Roos, all previous winners of the award, as well as Chumisa Qawe and Vainah Ubisi.
Five players who underlined their massive potential were nominated for the Young Player of the Year Award. Four of them – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cameron Hanekom, Jordan Hendrikse and Quan Horn – made their Test debuts in 2024 and the fifth, Henco van Wyk, played for the SA ‘A’ side two years ago.
The three players nominated for the Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year Award all helped South Africa qualify for and win the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. They are Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids, who is currently recovering from an injury, as well as Zain Davids and Ryan Oosthuizen.
Bathobele Hlekani, Jurenzo Julius and JF van Heerden all put up their hands for the South African Under-20s this year and are the nominees for the Junior Springbok Player of the Year Award.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has been nominated with Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens) and Jake White (Vodacom Bulls) for the Coach of the Year Award, while the Springboks and Blitzboks are up against the Hollywoodbets Sharks for the Team of the Year.
On the Carling Currie Cup front, Renzo du Plessis (Fidelity ADT Lions), Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas) and Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks XV) are the nominees in the Premier Division, while two players who helped the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers to the First Division title, Ashlon Davids and Thurlow Marsh, are up against EP’s Jayden Bantom.
“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 Mr 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.”
The Emirates Lions’ Sanele Nohamba won the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season Award for 2023/24.
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