Du Toit named World Rugby Player of the Year

Pieter-Steph du Toit cemented his place in history by becoming the first South African to be named the World Men's 15s Player of the Year for a second time, while the Springbok utility forward and six of his national team-mates were included in the World Rugby Men's 15s Dream Team for 2024 at the glittering awards ceremony in Monaco on Sunday evening.

The 32-year-old Du Toit, who also earned the world’s most prestigious player award in 2019, was nominated in the category along with Bok speedster Cheslin Kolbe and the most capped Springbok of all time, lock Eben Etzebeth, as well as Ireland’s Caelan Doris.

Seven Springbok Rugby World Cup winners were named in the 2024 Dream Team – the trio of Du Toit, Etzebeth and Kolbe were joined in the side by Ox Nche (prop), Malcolm Marx (hooker), and the centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel – which capped off a rewarding evening for the top ranked side on the world.

New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi pipped talented young Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year award, while Jérôme Daret, who led the French men’s sevens team to the Olympic gold medal in Paris, was named Coach of the Year.

The glittering event also highlighted other South African contributions to global rugby. Selvyn Davids, captain of the Blitzboks, earned a spot in the Men’s Sevens Dream Team, while SA Rugby won the Rugby for All Award, which celebrates impactful initiatives that uphold rugby’s core values.

SA Rugby’s “The Bag That Builds” project was particularly commended for promoting sustainability by repurposing tournament waste into building materials for community housing projects.

SA Rugby President Mr Mark Alexander lauded all the players for being honoured in such a remarkable year for the Boks, in which they registered an 84,6% win record after claiming the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title as well as the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate, Freedom Cup, and Prince William Cup (against Wales), and said this was a just reward for their fine efforts on the field this season.

“On behalf of SA Rugby, I’d like to extend our since congratulations to Pieter-Steph and all the players named in the Dream Team for receiving this recognition for all the hard work they’ve been putting in on and off the field this year, as well as Selvyn for his consistently great performances during a challenging season for the Blitzboks,” said Mr Alexander.

“For Pieter-Steph to become the first South African to win the World Rugby Player of the Year award twice is a notable achievement, and to have seven Boks in total feature in the Dream Team is simply remarkable.

“Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has built something special with the Bok team and the way the players give their all week-in and week-out is an inspiration to us all and shows that hard pays off.

“We are very proud of them and the entire Springbok coaching and management team for their tireless efforts to ensure that our players continue to shine on the international stage.

“Furthermore, the Rugby for All Award is testament to the hard work done away from the playing field by our staff at SA Rugby. It’s a project that has been ongoing for a number of years and we are humbled to be in a position to make a difference to the lives of South Africans who struggle to make ends meet.”

The recognition for their colossal performances in the green and gold this season, which contributed immensely to the team’s 11 victories in 13 matches, followed on nominations for Etzebeth in 2013 and last year, and Kolbe and Du Toit in 2019 respectively.

Other South Africans who received nominations for the Men’s 15s Player of the Year Award in the last decade, are Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen (both in 2014), Faf de Klerk and Malcolm Marx (both in 2018), and Lukhanyo Am (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.

Erasmus was also full of praise for the players and entire Springbok team and said: “To have so many of our players feature in the awards a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and the Springbok brand, and that’s what makes this such a special group.

“What makes this achievement even significant is that we used 50 players in total this season and rotated our squad regularly, which shows the calibre of players they are. But rugby is a team sport, and it takes each one of the squad members to do their bit to place one another in positions to shine.

“With the vast player depth in our squad, I’m sure a few more players were close to being nominated, but each one of these players certainly deserves this recognition and we are very proud of them.”

Erasmus also thanked the entire Bok squad for their efforts this season: “It takes each person in a squad to perform their role proficiently to ensure that the players can deliver on the field, so thank you to the winners and Dream team players, as well as every other player who has been part of the squad this year, not to mention the coaches, medical team, and team management for their commitment to the cause and for allowing us to build such a special team. This is all thanks to the collective effort and well done to all involved.”

The bulk of the Springbok squad will arrive in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon, and while the coaches will enjoy a well-deserved break, the players will return to their franchises and clubs to participate in their respective competitions.