Eben

THE SA Rugby Union (Saru) congratulated Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth yesterday, after he was named as one of the five nominees for the IRB World Player of the Year Award for 2013.

The 22-year-old is the youngest of the five nominees. The other four are Kieran Read and Ben Smith (both New Zealand), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales and the British and Irish Lions) and Sergio Parisse (Italy).

”From everyone involved in South African rugby, we would like to congratulate Eben on this nomination and we’ll be rooting for him when the winner is revealed after the current series of Tests in the Northern Hemisphere," said Saru president Oregan Hoskins. “This is a magnificent achievement for one of the best young players we’ve seen in the Springbok jersey in the last decade." – Sapa