No stopping Du Toit
AWARD: BOK LOOSIE SCOOPS TOP LOCAL ACCOLADE FOR A THIRD TIME
World Rugby Player-of-the-Year and star Springbok flank Pieter-Steph du Toit’s stocks went up even further yesterday when he was named 2019 South African Player-of-the-Year.
The 27-year-old Du Toit received the top individual award in South African rugby ahead of Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe, Makazole Mapimpi and Duane Vermeulen.
In the process, the Springbok loose forward became only the third player (after Naas Botha and Bryan Habana) to take home the prestigious gong three times, after he won the accolade in 2016 and 2018.
“Pieter-Steph led the charge for the Springboks and he deserves this accolade to go with his World Player-of-the-Year award,” said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
Meanwhile, outgoing Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus (Coach of the Year) and the Bok side (Team of the Year) were also honoured with awards following a brilliant 2019 season, which included Rugby World Cup and Rugby Championship victories.
“The 2019 season will be ingrained in our memories for decades to come, thanks to Rassie, Siya (Kolisi, Bok captain) and the Springboks, but all our national teams did well and we are proud of all the winners,” Alexander said.
Other award-winners from the Boks’ World Cup squad included scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies (Young Player of the Year) and flyhalf Handré Pollard (Super Rugby Player of the Year).
The 23-year-old Jantjies, who played in 10 of the Boks’ Tests in 2019, arrived on the international scene like a bullet train, scoring a brace of tries in his Test debut against the Wallabies in Johannesburg, as well as a crucial five-pointer in the drawn Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
Pollard, the top points-scorer at the World Cup in Japan, scored 194 Super Rugby points last season as the Springbok pivot helped steer the Bulls to the quarterfinals.
Siviwe Soyizwapi, who was the Blitzboks’ leading try scorer in the 2018/19 campaign, was named Springbok Sevens Player-of-the Year.
Soyizwapi took over the captaincy from injured Philip Snyman halfway through the season, and in that capacity he lifted trophies in Vancouver and Singapore.
“At franchise and provincial level we also saw an upward surge which bodes well for the forthcoming season,” Alexander said.
“Congratulations to all the winners and to all our teams, coaches and players across all levels here in South Africa.”