Bulls, Vermeulen in line to pick up several SA Rugby awards
Director of Rugby Jake White is also a sure bet to win the award for Coach of the Year after guiding his team to two competition titles.
SA Rugby’s Player of the Year Duane Vermeulen says he wants to take on the Lions, no matter where the tour happens. Picture: Getty Images
Bulls captain and Springbok veteran Duane Vermeulen leads the way with three nominations for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Awards for 2020.
Vermeulen has been nominated for three awards, while his Bulls team accumulated 11 nominations out of a possible 22 for which they are eligible.
The Springbok World Cup winner and No 8 is in line for awards in the categories SA Rugby Player of the Year, Super Rugby Unlocked Player of the competition, and Currie Cup Player of the Year.
Vermeulen, the SA Rugby Player of the Year in 2014, is up against his Bulls team-mate Cornal Hendricks, Curwin Bosch (Sharks), Steven Kitshoff WP/Stormers) and Frans Steyn (Cheetahs) for the main award.
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Bosch, the top points’ scorer of the season, is also a nominee in the Young Player of the Year Award, where he contests the title with the Bulls duo of Stedman Gans and Ruan Nortje, as well as Dylan Richardson (Sharks) and Wandisile Simelane (Lions).
Gans is one of the three nominees for Springbok Sevens Player of the Year – in competition with the “Davids twins”, Angelo and Selvyn, for this award.
Just like Gans, who also shone for the Bulls, Hendricks and Marco van Staden were also nominated in two categories each.
Cornal Hendricks’ good form in recent months has been recognised and he is in line for a number of awards when SA Rugby hand out their annual prizes later this week. Picture: Getty Images
Jake White and the Bulls have also been recognised for their successful Super Rugby and Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup campaigns with nominations in the categories for Coach and Team of the Year.
Other nominees in these categories are Sean Everitt and the Sharks, runners up in the Currie Cup, as well as Neil Powell and the Blitzboks, winners of two tournaments in the shortened HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2019/20, and overall silver medal winners in the series.
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The winners in the eight categories will be revealed on the @Springboks Twitter handle this Thursday. Votes were cast by local media and SA Rugby Department staff.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Player of the Year
Curwin Bosch (Sharks)
Cornal Hendricks (Bulls)
Steven Kitshoff (WP/Stormers)
Frans Steyn (Cheetahs)
Duane Vermeulen (Bulls)
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Curwin Bosch (Sharks)
Stedman Gans (Bulls)
Ruan Nortje (Bulls)
Dylan Richardson (Sharks)
Wandisile Simelane (Lions)
Team of the Year
Bulls
Sharks
Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
Sean Everitt (Sharks)
Neil Powell (Blitzboks)
Jake White (Bulls)
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
Angelo Davids
Selvyn Davids
Stedman Gans
Super Rugby and Unlocked Player of the Year
Frans Steyn (Cheetahs)
Marco van Staden (Bulls)
Duane Vermeulen (Bulls)
Currie Cup Player of the Year
Cornal Hendricks (Bulls)
Marco van Staden (Bulls)
Duane Vermeulen (Bulls)
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