SA Rugby set to name Player of the Year at glittering awards ceremony

The best Springbok player of 2024 is set to be named at the annual SA Rugby Awards being held in Cape Town on Thursday night.

The Springboks enjoyed a fantastic 2024 international season, winning 11 out of 13 games, with both losses coming by just a single point.

They triumphed in the Rugby Championship, enjoyed a clean sweep on their Northern Hemisphere tour and started building towards the 2027 World Cup by playing 51 players over the season.

They were the dominant side in world rugby last year, and proved that by having three out of the four World Rugby player of the year nominees.

It ended with Pieter-Steph du Toit winning his second world player of the year gong, after triumphing in 2019, while Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe fell just short again.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was pipped to the World Rugby breakthrough player of the year award by New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi, while Bok coach Rassie Erasmus controversially missed out on the coach of the year award to French Sevens coach Jerome Daret.

All of them will be up for SA Rugby awards and many should be walking away with some silverware on the night.

Coveted award

The coveted men’s player of the year award will be an interesting one, with the current world player of the Year Du Toit the clear favourite, but Etzebeth and Kolbe are not far behind, while fellow nominees Ox Nche and Damian de Allende both also enjoyed brilliant seasons.

Etzebeth is the current double defending player of the year, became the most capped Springbok of all time last year, breaking Victor Matfield’s cap record, and played in most of the Boks games, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise to pick up a third award.

Likewise with Kolbe and Nche who both had fantastic campaigns and would be deserving winners if given the nod.

Erasmus will be the strong favourite for coach of the year, up against the Bulls Jake White and the Blitzboks Philip Snyman.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu should be a shoe in for the young player of the year award, but faces stiff competition from the likes of exciting up coming talents Cameron Hanekom, Jordan Hendrikse, Ruan Venter and Henco van Wyk.

It’s also hard to look past the Boks winning team of the year, with them up against the Sharks, who won the Challenge Cup, and Blitzboks, who won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Other awards on the night include the women’s player of the year award, where Libbie Janse van Rensburg will attempt to defend her crown, men’s sevens player of the year, junior Springbok of the year, as well as the Currie Cup Premier and First Division players of the year.

In all it is set to be a wonderful night celebrating the best of South African rugby over 2024, and should build up excitement ahead of the upcoming international season.