Locals look forward to SA player awards 2014
The Steval Pumas stand to be rewarded for their great form last season with nominations in four categories for the annual SA Rugby Awards to be held at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City on Wednesday February 12.
JOHANNESBRUG – The award for Absa Coach of the Year is a straight three-sided shoot-out between Heyneke Meyer, Jimmy Stonehouse and Brendan Venter while the teams they respectively coached in 2013 – the Springboks, the Steval Pumas (Stonehouse also coached the SA President’s XV to victory in the IRB Tbilisi Cup) and The Sharks’ Absa Currie Cup side – are the three nominations for Team of the Year.
Pumas try-scoring ace Rosko Specman has been nominated in two categories – Vodacom Cup and Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year.
The senior management of the Pumas together with Stonehouse and Specman will represent the union at the ceremony.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, the winner in 2008 who led South Africa to 10 victories in 12 tests in 2013, will go up against Bismarck du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen for the most prestigious individual award in South African rugby. Etzebeth is also nominated in the category of Absa Young Player of the Year, where he will face stiff competition from fellow Springboks Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Jan Serfontein, as well as the fleet-footed Springbok Sevens and SA u/20 star Cheslin Kolbe.
Other awards that will be presented are in the categories of Sarpa Players’ Player of the Year, Supersport Try of the Year, Coca-Cola Craven Week Player of the Year, the Marriott Referee Award, Women’s Player of the Year and Cell C Community Cup Player of the Tournament.
