Five Springboks vie for Player of the Year title: Who gets YOUR vote?
Five Springboks vie for Player of the Year title: Who gets YOUR vote?

The highly sought-after SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year Award for 2023 has five members of the Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok team in France: Peter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, and Damian Willemse. Etzebeth is hoping to retain the title he won the previous year.
On Tuesday, SA Rugby revealed the nominees for each of the nine categories, as selected by the media and important participants in the governing body.
The winners will be named early next year, along with the annual Referee of the Year and the Provincial Women’s Player of the Year.
Kolisi and Du Toit, who won Player of the Year Awards in 2021 and 2019, respectively, as well as Malherbe, the scrum anchor for the Springboks, and Willemse, who was previously nominated for Young Player of the Year (U23) and won the Youth Weeks Player of the Year Award in 2016, will be fierce rivals for Etzebeth.In addition, Nadine Roos will defend her title as the Springbok Women’s Player of the Year against Rights Mkhari, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, and Aseza Hele, the previous champions.
Last year’s Young Player of the Year Award shortlist included four of the five nominees,when Canan Moodie beat off the challenges of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse and Evan Roos. This year, Ruan Venter has also been nominated.

On the Currie Cup front, the Cheetahs’ Ruan Pienaar is up against two Pumas players in Devon Williams and Tinus de Beer for the Premier Division award, while the Boland duo of Cameron Hufke and Darian Hock are up against Keagan Fortune of the Valke for the First Division Award.

For the Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year Award, Ricardo Duarttee, who won Rookie of the Year at the annual HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Awards, will compete against Christie Grobbelaar and Shilton van Wyk.
The three finalists for the Junior Springbok Player of the Year Award are Damian Markus, Corne Beets, and team captain Paul de Villiers, who guided the South African U20s to a bronze medal in the World Rugby U20 Championship.
Hawies Fourie and the Toyota Cheetahs, John Dobson and the DHL Stormers, and Jacques Nienaber and the Springboks square off in the categories of Coach and Team of the Year.
“We had a wonderful year culminating in the Rugby World Cup victory, and I would like to congratulate all the nominees not only for their performances during the year, but also for their contribution to the local rugby landscape,” said Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby.
“Everyone whose name appears on this list of nominees can reflect on the year and take pride in their accomplishments. They all agreed that playing rugby is a team sport and that you cannot win without the person next to you, but they really stood out and should be recognized for these nominations.
“This year, we saw action from all of our national teams, with differing degrees of success. But, each and every player, wherever and whenever they entered the field, put their country first, and for that, I am grateful.
“A special word of thanks and congratulations to Jacques, Siya and the Springboks though – you were great ambassadors for South Africa and by defending the Webb Ellis Cup in France, you have ensured that the name of the Bok team of 2023 will forever be written in the annals of our game as one of the greatest.

Locally, the Stormers hosted their second consecutive URC final; the Bulls Daisies won the Women’s Premier Division after going undefeated throughout the season; the Cheetahs defeated the Pumas in the Currie Cup Premier Division; and the Boland Kavaliers and Valke stood out in the First Division and Mzansi Challenge.
“Every player, coach, administrator, referee, sponsor, and all other important role players for contributing to making the 2023 season one to remember,” the statement reads.
Nominees (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Eben Etzebeth
Siya Kolisi
Frans Malherbe
Damian Willemse
Springbok Women’s Player of the Year
Aseza Hele
Libbie Janse van Rensburg
Babalwa Latsha
Rights Mkhari
Nadine Roos
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks / Hollywoodbets Sharks)
Canan Moodie (Springboks / Vodacom Bulls)
Evan Roos (Springboks / DHL Stormers)
Ruan Venter (Emirates Lions)
Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year
Ricardo Duarttee
Christie Grobbelaar
Shilton van Wyk
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
Corne Beets
Paul de Villiers
Damian Markus
Team of the Year
Toyota Cheetahs (Currie Cup)
Springboks
DHL Stormers (Vodacom URC)
Coach of the Year
John Dobson (DHL Stormers)
Hawies Fourie (Toyota Cheetahs)
Jacques Nienaber (Springboks)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Tinus de Beer (Airlink Pumas)
Ruan Pienaar (Toyota Cheetahs)
Devon Williams (Airlink Pumas)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Keagan Fortune (Valke)
Darian Hock (Boland Kavaliers)
Cameron Hufke (Boland Kavaliers)