More about the Women's Players' Player of the Year nominees
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: MyPlayers announced their shortlist for Women’s Players’ Player of the Year on Monday and a couple of incredible athletes made the list.
But who will walk away with the prize?
It has been a landmark season for the women’s game in South Africa.
Since former Springbok assistant coach Swys de Bruin took over as performance coach of the national women’s team in August, there has been a sense of optimism and excitement building.
The Springbok Women put in impressive performances against Australia and Italy in the WXV 2 and recorded a win over Japan.
They also stunned a star-laden Barbarian side.
And on the provincial level, having a professional team in the shape of Bulls Daisies has spurred a lot of people to start taking the game, especially in South Africa, seriously.
While the MyPlayers Annual awards have been around since 2005, it created a Women’s Players’ Player of the Year award in 2022.
Nadine Roos walked away with the inaugural title before Rights Mkhari secured the gong last year.
Roos will seek her second Players’ Players of the Year award as she goes head-to-head with Vainah Ubisi, Libbie Janse van Rensburg and Ayanda Malinga.
Get to know the nominees:
Nadine Roos:
At 28 years old, Roos is becoming a household name. She is an incredible athlete who excels at Sevens and fifteens.
She made her international Sevens debut in the Dubai tournament of the 2016–17 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series.
In 2018, Roos competed for South Africa in the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland. She later featured in the World Cup Sevens in San Francisco and the 2022 edition hosted in Cape Town.
She also made the 2021 CrossFit Games.
She continued to impress and she proved to be vital for the Springbok Women in WXV 2, slotting in at flyhalf for the campaign.
Vainah Ubisi
Born in Moletjie Leokama in Limpopo, the legend in the making, Ubisi has huge plans for her rugby career.
The lock has been outstanding on the field. Not only did she perform for the Springbok Women, but was formidable during the Women’s Premier Division for the Bulls Daisies.
She was named the Player of the Match during the Women’s Premier Division Final between the Bulls Daisies and Western Province in August.
She was also named the Forward of the Year at the Bulls Awards this year.
The 21-year-old continued with that form at Test level, making strong carries and putting in solid tackles against the Barbarians, Spain and during the WXV 2.
Libbie Janse van Rensburg
The Bulls Daisies star became the first woman in South African rugby history to score more than 200 points when she scored a try against Spain in Cape Town.
Although her WXV 2 campaign was cut short due to an injury, Janse van Rensburg’s impact on the team is impeccable.
Over the past few years, she has become one of the best female players in the country and earned the Women’s Player of the Year title at the SA Rugby Awards in 2023.
The Springbok Women’s fullback and flyhalf has quickly become one of the most recognizable players in the game despite the struggles for women’s rugby to get the recognition it deserves compared to the rest of the world.
Ayanda Malinga
Malinga’s incredible speed makes her a very lethal athlete. Try-scoring is her second nature and she is becoming one of the most sought-after talents in the country.
Playing for the Bulls Daisies, she was vital in their back-to-back Women’s Premier Division title.
She not only impresses at the franchise but at the Test level as well.
Malinga represented South Africa at the 2022 World Cup Sevens in Cape Town. She was named in the South Africa Women’s Sevens side for the 2023 Dubai Women’s Sevens.
She was a member of the South African side that competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
She returned to the Springbok Women’s fifteens squad for the 2024 WXV 2 tournament after her last appearance in 2022.
*Previous recipients of the Women’s Players’ Player of the Year award:
Nadine Roos – 2022
Rights Mkhari – 2023
