ETZEBETH WINS SA RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR AGAIN

Lock Eben Etzebeth has been named South Africa’s Springbok Player of the Year for the second time in a row. This was announced during a formal ceremony at Multichoice City in Johannesburg on Thursday.

This means Etzebeth has not only won back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles but also the national team’s Player of the Year titles. Other players who were nominated in the category are Pieter-Steph du Toit, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe and Damian Willemse.

He is only the second player to have done so.

Last year, Etzebeth was also nominated for World Player of the Year.

Another double whammy was achieved when Canan Moodie won the Young Player of the Year Award for the second time in a row. The other nominees were Jaden Hendrikse, Evan Roos, Sache Feinberg-Mgomezulu and Ruan Venter.

Libbie Janse van Rensburg made her mark when she won both the Springbok Women and Provincial Player of the Year for 2023.

Janse van Rensburg was up against Nadine Roos, Aseza Hele, Babalwa Latsha and Right Mkhari. All of them have won the award in previous years.

Jacques Nienaber and the Springboks won the awards for Coach of the Year and Team of the Year respectively, after being triumphant at the Rugby World Cup in France last year.

Image credit: The Citizen