SA rugby well represented among the nominees.
Springbok World Cup winners Pieter-Steph du Toit, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche are nominees in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year category, while rookie wing/centre Ethan Hooker is a nominee in the 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year category.
The winners will be revealed on Saturday, 22 November, following that day’s Test matches.
Loose forward Du Toit, who last year became the first South African in history to win the World Men’s 15s Player of the Year Award twice, after also walking away with the title in 2019, was nominated for World Rugby’s most decorated title once again, along with hooker Marx, loosehead prop Nche and France’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
This represents the second time Marx has been nominated for the award, as he was also among the nominees in 2018.
Breakthrough Player of the Year
Hooker, meanwhile, was nominated as one of four players in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year category, with New Zealand’s Fabian Holland, England’s Henry Pollock and Australian Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
“I’d like to congratulate Pieter-Steph, Malcolm, Ox and Ethan for being recognised among the best players in the world,” said South African Rugby Union president Mark Alexander.
“To have three of the four nominees for Men’s 15s Player of the Year from South Africa, as well as Ethan in the Breakthrough category, is a testament to the quality of our players on the global stage.
“They have all performed exceptionally well this season and deserve this recognition. On behalf of SA Rugby and the entire country, I want to express how proud we are of them.
“We wish them well ahead of Saturday’s announcement. Regardless of the outcome, being nominated is already a remarkable achievement.”
Past winners
Other South Africans who received nominations for the Men’s 15s Player of the Year Award in the last 11 years are Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen (both in 2014), Faf de Klerk (2018), and Lukhanyo Am (in 2022).
Apart from Du Toit, only two other South Africans have walked away with top honours, Schalk Burger in 2004, and Bryan Habana in 2007.
The finalists were voted for by the World Rugby Awards panel, which comprises former players Jacques Burger, Fiona Coghlan, Victor Matfield, Drew Mitchell, Ugo Monye, Sergio Parisse, Kieran Read and Blaine Scully.
World Rugby will also announce its Dream Team of the Year on Tuesday, 25 November.
