Four Springboks nominated for World Rugby Awards

JOHANNESBURG - Three Springbok players have been nominated for the biggest individual prize at the World Rugby Awards. 

Flank Pieter-Steph du Toit, lock Eben Etzebeth and wing Cheslin Kolbe are all contenders for the prestigious Men’s 15s Player of the Year prize along with Ireland captain Caelan Doris, while flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is in line for the Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year award after a sterling first season in international rugby.

Du Toit is the only past winner of the Player of the Year award, having won it in 2019, while Etzebeth gets the nod for a second year in a row after missing out to All Blacks loose forward, Ardie Savea, for the accolade in 2023. The trio's inclusion on the shortlist caps a remarkable year for the world Champions, who’ve won 10 out of 12 Test matches, with one still left to play in the year.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was a breath of fresh air in the green and gold jersey after making his debut against Wales in June. He played key roles in the victories against Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship before a knee injury ended his season prematurely. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the second Bok flyhalf to be nominated in his category in consecutive years after Manie Libbok was up for it last year and will hope to be the first South African since Aphiwe Dyantyi in 2018 to take the prize home. He faces competition from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England), Jamie Osborne (Ireland) and Wallace Sititi (New Zealand) for the award.

SA Rugby president, Mark Alexander, congratulated all the players for being nominated for the world’s most prestigious awards.

"Having Springboks players feature in two categories is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and South Africa, and we are very proud of them. Each one of the Springbok players has shone out this season, and given the quality of the Springbok squad Rassie Erasmus has been building, I’m sure many more players could have been nominated," said Alexander.

Coach Erasmus was equally proud of the nominated Bok players and wished them well ahead of the ceremony in Monaco.

"Congratulations to the players for being nominated and making their mark on the biggest stage in rugby this season. Making their nominations even more remarkable is that most of them have won two Rugby World Cup titles already and that they have continued to deliver the high standards we expect at the Springboks over several years. We are extremely proud of them, and we wish them luck when the winners are revealed," said Erasmus.

The awards will be hosted in Monaco on Sunday, 24 November, after the conclusion of the November internationals.