Duane in line for a big haul

Bulls captain and Springbok veteran Duane Vermeulen leads the way with three nominations for the SA Rugby Player-of-the-Year Awards for 2020.

Vermeulen has been nominated for three awards, while his Bulls team accumulated 11 nominations out of a possible 22 for which they are eligible.

The Springbok World Cup-winner is in line for awards in the categories SA Rugby Player-ofthe-Year, Super Rugby Unlocked Player-of-the-Competition, and Currie Cup Player-of-the-Year.

Vermeulen, the SA Rugby Player-of-the-Year in 2014, is up against his Bulls team-mate Cornal Hendricks, Curwin Bosch (Sharks), Steven Kitshoff WP/ Stormers) and Frans Steyn (Cheetahs) for the main award.

Top points-scorer Bosch, is also a nominee in the Young Player-of-the-Year award, along with Bulls duo Stedman Gans and Ruan Nortje, as well as Dylan Richardson (Sharks) and Wandisile Simelane (Lions).

Gans is one of the three nominees for Springbok Sevens Playerof-the-Year – in competition with the Davids twins, Angelo and Selvyn.

Like Gans, who also shone for the Bulls, Hendricks and Marco van Staden were also nominated in two categories each.

Jake White and the Bulls have been recognised for their successful Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup campaigns with nominations in the categories for Coach and Team-of-the-Year.

Other nominees in these categories are Sean Everitt and the Sharks, as well as Neil Powell and the Blitzboks, winners of two tournaments in the shortened World Rugby Sevens Series for 2019/20, and overall silver medal winners.

The winners will be revealed on the @Springboks Twitter handle on Thursday

Votes were cast by local media and SA Rugby department staff.