Three Boks are up for World Rugby's top prize. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
Three Springbok stars, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe, are candidates for World Rugby’s biggest individual prize, that of Player of the Year. The fourth finalist is Ireland captain Caelan Doris.
The winner will be named on Sunday night at an event in Monaco. Here we profile the three Bok stars.
Springbok rugby’s most-called player has been here before … in 2013 and last year when he helped the Boks to a second successive World Cup title, having also won it in 2019.
It proves just how powerful Etzebeth’s contribution to Bok rugby has been since his debut back in 2012.
He has been an ever-present for 12 years now and is up there with the very best to have played the game, in South Africa and globally.
Just a few weeks ago he broke Victor Matfield’s then Test record of 127 games and now stands on 130 Tests.
Having turned 33 this October, Etzebeth remains in fine form and health and looks set to play on until at least the next World Cup in 2027. He has again been on top of his game this season, the go-to man for the No 4 jersey, while several Bok team-mates have shared the duties at No 5.
Etzebeth has been a key leader for the Boks and even captained the side when Siya Kolisi has been rested or played off the bench. With him leading the charge the Boks have remained a powerful pack, feared the world over, with their scrum still the best in the game.
Etzebeth has been the key lineout man as well while he has thrived in general play, regularly carrying the ball over the gainline, putting in tackles, and charging down kicks.
You know Etzebeth is a giant of a player and key team member of the Boks when you see a team sheet for a weekend match and someone else’s name appears at No 4. There’s just a little panic and concern … until you see the name Eben Etzebeth on the bench, as a member of the ‘Bomb Squad’. Then you breathe a sigh of relief … knowing everything’s going to be okay.
He started the season somewhat sluggishly, but he hit his straps in the Rugby Championship, especially against the All Blacks, and on this UK tour he’s again stood tall.
To think Du Toit almost lost his leg and was nearly forced to give up the game a few years ago is staggering, because he is now without question one of the best and most consistent players on the planet – always delivering an honest quality performance.
Du Toit won’t feature against Wales in Cardiff tomorrow, simply because he is done, according to coach Rassie Erasmus.
But what a year it has again been for the No 7 flanker. Du Toit is one of the quietest players in the Bok team, a man of few words, but with the biggest heart and engine you’ll find anywhere in the game.
Du Toit was again one of the Boks’ best performers in 2024, as he has been virtually every season he has played; working his socks off to ensure the Boks win and stay on top of their opponents. He’s won lineout ball, carried strongly, made tackles all over the field, and scored tries; a player who just never seems to tire.
He won this award in 2019, when he helped the Boks win the World Cup and he could easily have won it last year, too, but could this be a second win for the Malmesbury Missile, as some refer to him?
He’s without doubt a front-runner, due to his consistently good form, and it’s no surprise he’s so often labelled the best player in rugby. You just can’t argue against it, as is the case with a number of this Bok generation.
Like Etzebeth, Du Toit’s name on the team sheet brings calm, reassurance, a knowing that the Boks are in good hands, and that’s the mark of a player who’s truly valued. Long may he continue to wear the green and gold.
Whether he was on the flank or in the second row, he was at his very best in the first Test against Ireland in June, in the second Test against Wallabies, while he scored two tries against Argentina in Mbombela, and got another against England last week. A huge presence in every match.
There are many rugby fans out there who believe France’s Antoine Dupont is the best backline player in the game, if not the best player, but there’s an argument to be had that Kolbe beats Dupont in several areas.
It’s hard to judge and separate a scrumhalf and a wing; they’re such different positions and both men are high-quality players who always make an impact. But there is no doubt Kolbe is up there with the very best to have played the game, possibly even challenging Bryan Habana now as the Boks’ best wing.
Kolbe is thus a serious contender for the Player of the Year award. He, like so many of his team-mates and his fellow nominees, has been consistently good for a number of seasons and again this year. But it’s not only his try-scoring that has caught the eye, though he has scored a number of crackers, including the two against England last week.
It’s Kolbe’s work-rate off the ball, his excellence under the high ball, his tackling, and his stepping … and let’s not forget this season he was even used in the lineouts and on one occasion asked to throw the ball into the scrum. Heck, he was even taking the kicks at goal.
There’s little Kolbe hasn’t done and can’t do on a rugby field. And to think that before Rassie Erasmus came along to rescue SA Rugby and the Boks in 2018 the winger was considered too small for Test rugby and not even considered for the national team. He has shown size means nothing in rugby when you’re good enough and your heart is in the right place.
He started his season with a crucial try in an important win against Ireland at Loftus, continued his solid form throughout the year and then delivered a stunning all-round performance against Argentina in Mbombela, scoring two tries. And how about the double at Twickenham last week?
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