The Airlink Pumas have dominated the list of nominees for the SA Rugby Awards, which was announced yesterday.

SA Rugby announced the nominees in nine categories on Wednesday December 14 and the winners will be named in 2023, along with the annual OUTsurance Referee of the Year and the Provincial Women’s Player of the Year.

Jimmy Stonehouse has been nominated in the Coach of the Year category, along with John Dobson (DHL Stormers) and Jacques Nienaber (Springboks).

“To be nominated out of a smaller union is an amazing privilege. I won this award in 2013, and I hope I win it again,” said Stonehouse.

The Airlink Pumas’ domestic triumph was reflected in the nominations for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year, with three men from Mpumalanga up against one another for the award – Sebastian de Klerk, Willie Engelbrecht and Devon Williams.

“It is great to have three players nominated as Player of the Year in the Currie Cup. What a great season (with these three and the rest of the players and staff) it has been!” said Stonehouse.

The Springboks were nominated as one of the three Teams of the Year, with the DHL Stormers, winners of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and the Carling Currie Cup champions, the Airlink Pumas, the two other nominated sides.

“We won this award in 2013. The Pumas deserve the 2022 Team of the Year nomination. With the resources and money we have, everyone knows what it is about. The way we trained and the way we played to get into the final was amazing.”

Three experienced Springboks, Lukhanyo Am, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, were nominated for the coveted SA Rugby Player of the Year Award for 2022 for a second year running and will be up against Kurt-Lee Arendse and Frans Malherbe after the quintet of Boks earned the most votes in the nomination process.

Springbok captain Kolisi won the award for a stellar 2021 season and along with Etzebeth, who became the seventh player to earn his 100th Springbok Test cap this year, and Am, whose influence was crucial before he picked up a season-ending injury in August, the trio were central to the Boks’ efforts in 2022.

Former Blitzbok star Arendse was sublime in his debut season for the Boks and scored seven tries in as many Tests, while the ever-reliant Malherbe, who played in his 50th Test this year, was a rock in the pack, and he quietly went about his job of putting the Boks on the front foot from the first phase.

For the first time, media and SA Rugby stakeholders also voted for the Springbok Women’s Player of the Year, and the five nominees all played in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October: last year’s winner, Lusanda Dumke, the 2019 winner, Aseza Hele, as well as Zintle Mpupha, Aphiwe Ngwevu and Nadine Roos.

The next generation of national players were nominated in the category for Young Player of the Year, which only takes into consideration under-23s. They are Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse, Canan Moodie, Evan Roos and Henco van Wyk.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was also nominated in the category for Junior Springbok Player of the Year after he led the SA U20s to an unbeaten run in the Six Nations U20 Summer Series in Italy, while Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ruan Venter were also nominated for this award.

The three Blitzboks who were nominated for the Springbok Sevens Player of the Year Award are Selvyn Davids, Zain Davids and JC Pretorius.

And in the final category, Jaywinn Juries and Duan Pretorius of eventual champions the Down Touch Griffons are up against Jaiden Baron of the Boland Cavaliers for the Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year award.

Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby, congratulated all the nominees on their performances and achievements in 2022.

“As we returned to normal after a few tough years due to the pandemic, it was really heart-warming to see rugby played on weekends all over the country and abroad, by schools, clubs, provincial unions, our franchises and national teams,” said Alexander.

“This list of nominees honours those players who performed brilliantly week in and week out, and I would like to congratulate all of them on their achievements in 2022.

“All of our national teams enjoyed some form of success and again underlined our status as one of the top rugby nations in the world. With that comes big responsibility, though, and our men and women in green and gold did us proud this year.

“On the local front, we saw excellent rugby played across the board. The DHL Stormers were deserved champions of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship after winning an all-South African final against the Vodacom Bulls, and the two Carling Currie Cup competitions delivered some of the best action seen in recent years, with especially the Airlink Pumas and Windhoek Draught Griquas underlining the fact that there is no such thing anymore as ‘minnow teams’ in South Africa.

“Our most sincere gratitude also goes out to every player, coach, administrator, referee, sponsor and all other significant role players for playing their part in making the 2022 season one for the ages.

“Next year, the Boks will be defending the Webb Ellis Cup at the Rugby World Cup in France. Our other national teams will again have full schedules and our franchises will be continuing their participation in the northern hemisphere in the Vodacom URC, Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, while the local season will also be jam-packed yet again.”

Like last season, when Evan Roos of the DHL Stormers walked away with the honours, the award for the Player of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be made at the conclusion of the competition next year.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Player of the Year
• Lukhanyo Am
• Kurt-Lee Arendse
• Eben Etzebeth
• Siya Kolisi
• Frans Malherbe

Springbok Women’s Player of the Year
• Lusanda Dumke
• Aseza Hele
• Zintle Mpupha
• Aphiwe Ngwevu
• Nadine Roos

SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
• Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Junior Springboks / South Africa ‘A’ / DHL Stormers)
• Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks / Cell C Sharks)
• Canan Moodie (Springboks / Vodacom Bulls)
• Evan Roos (Springboks / DHL Stormers)
• Henco van Wyk (South Africa ‘A’ / Emirates Lions)

Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
• Selvyn Davids
• Zain Davids
• JC Pretorius

Junior Springbok Player of the Year
• Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
• Suleiman Hartzenberg
• Ruan Venter

Team of the Year
• Airlink Pumas
• DHL Stormers
• Springboks

Coach of the Year
• John Dobson (DHL Stormers)
• Jacques Nienaber (Springboks)
• Jimmy Stonehouse (Airlink Pumas)

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
• Sebastian de Klerk (Airlink Pumas)
• Willie Engelbrecht (Airlink Pumas)
• Devon Williams (Airlink Pumas)

Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
• Jaiden Baron (Boland Cavaliers)
• Jaywinn Juries (Down Touch Griffons)
• Duan Pretorius (Down Touch Griffons)