World Rugby Awards: Boks top of the pops

NEWS: South Africa will not only finish the year as the world’s top-ranked team, they have also produced the best player and the bulk of the Dream Team.

Two-time World Cup-winning flank Pieter-Steph du Toit has become the first South African to win World Rugby’s Player of the Year title for a second time.

Du Toit beat off the challenge of Ireland’s Caelan Doris, as well as fellow World Cup-winning Springboks Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe.

The 32-year-old departed the Bok team this past Monday to attend to a ‘shoulder niggle’ back home.

He flew back on Saturday and arrived just hours before Sunday’s glittering awards ceremony in Monaco.

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.

The Boks also provided seven members of the prestigious Dream Team, including four in the pack – Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Etzebeth and Du Toit.

The backs who made the cut are Kolbe, Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende.

New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi pipped talented young Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the Breakthrough Player of the Year award, while Jérôme Daret, who led the French men’s Sevens team to the Olympic gold medal in Paris, was named Coach of the Year.

The glittering event also highlighted other South African contributions to the global game.

Selvyn Davids, captain of the BlitzBoks, earned a spot in the Men’s Sevens Dream Team.

South African Rugby Union President Mark Alexander lauded the players for being honoured in such a remarkable year for the Boks, in which they registered an 84,6 percent win record after claiming the Rugby Championship title as well as the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate, Freedom Cup, and Prince William Cup (against Wales).

“On behalf of SA Rugby, I’d like to extend our since congratulations to Pieter-Steph and all the players named in the Dream Team for receiving this recognition for all the hard work they’ve been putting in on and off the field this year, as well as Selvyn for his consistently great performances during a challenging season for the Blitzboks,” Alexander said.

“For Pieter-Steph to become the first South African to win the World Rugby Player of the Year award twice is a notable achievement, and to have seven Boks in total feature in the Dream Team is simply remarkable.

“Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has built something special with the Bok team and the way the players give their all week-in and week-out is an inspiration to us all and shows that hard pays off.

“We are very proud of them and the entire Springbok coaching and management team for their tireless efforts to ensure that our players continue to shine on the international stage.”

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 the winners

Men

Player of the Year

Winner: Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

Nominees
Caelan Doris (Ireland)
Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

Breakthrough Player of the Year

Winner: Wallace Sititi (New Zealand)

Nominees
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England)
Jamie Osborne (Ireland)
Wallace Sititi (New Zealand)

Try of the Year

Winner: Nolann Le Garrec (France v England, Men’s Six Nations, 17 March)

Nominees
James Lowe (Ireland v England, Men’s Six Nations, 10 March)
Lorenzo Pani (Italy v Wales, Men’s Six Nations, 17 March)
Nolann Le Garrec (France v England, Men’s Six Nations, 17 March)
Akaki Tabutsadze (Georgia v Australia, July Internationals, 20 July)

Dream Team

Coach of the Year

Women

Breakthrough Player of the Year

Winner: Erin King (Ireland)

Nominees
Caitlyn Halse (Australia)
Maddie Feaunati (England)
Erin King (Ireland)
Hannah King (New Zealand)

Player of the Year

Winner: Ellie Kildunne (England)

Nominees
Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France)
Ellie Kildunne (England)
Alex Matthews (England)
Alex Tessier (Canada)

Try of the Year

Winner: Marine Ménager (France v Canada, WXV, 29 September)

Nominees
Alyssa D’Incà (Italy v Scotland, Women’s Six Nations, 20 April)
Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand v Australia, Pacific Four Series, 25 May)
Maya Stewart (Australia v Wales, WXV, 28 September)
Marine Ménager (France v Canada, WXV, 29 September)

SEVENS

Men’s Player of the Year

Winner: Antoine Dupont (France)

Nominees
Antoine Dupont (France)
Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (France)
Terry Kennedy (Ireland)

Women’s Player of the Year

Winner: Maddison Levi (Australia)

Nominees
Michaela Blyde (New Zealand)
Maddison Levi (Australia)
Jorja Miller (New Zealand)