The Currie Cup final marks the conclusion of the domestic rugby season and is followed by the annual SARU awards shortly before the Springboks depart for Europe on their end of year tour (EOYT). Sometime towards the end of November the IRB will announce the nominees for international player of the year amongst other awards.
So I guess it’s time to ask yourself who’ll be the winners in 2013?
At international level the Boks improved on their 2012 form but could not beat the All Blacks. Some of the better players that might make their way onto the player of the year shortlist are Adriaan Strauss (Grey College), Bismarck du Plessis (Grey College), Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg), Duane Vermeulen (Nelspruit), Fourie du Plessis (Affies), Jean de Villiers (Paarl Gim), Bryan Habana (KES) and Willie le Roux (Paul Roos).
Morné Steyn (Sand du Plessis) regained lost form and Bulls led the South African charge in Super Rugby. It was however the Cheetahs’s best season ever in Super Rugby that caught some of the headlines and overshadowed the fading Bull’s effort in the end. Here in addition to Strauss and le Roux, the likes of Robert Ebersohn (Grey College) and Lappies Labuschagne (Grey College) seemed to lay down the markers, only for it not to be enough to make test match choices. Very good efforts anyway.
In the Currie Cup, Western Province could end the season unbeaten. Gio Aplon (Hawston) has bagged a couple of Man of the Match awards, Scarra Ntubeni (KES) is a Newlands crowd pleaser, Deon Fourie (Pietersburg) might not be as prominent as he was last season, but he’s still a big value-adder.
Young player of the Year
During the Junior World Championships, two youngsters really did the Green and Gold jersey proud – Jacques du Plessis (Ermelo) and Cheslin Kolbe (Brackenfell). Since then both have gone on to do extremely well in their first season at senior Currie Cup level. Not to be overlooked are the likes of Jan Serfontein (Grey College) and 2012 winner Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg) who are both still classified as youngsters and have done incredibly well for themselves this season. As too have Arno Botha (Nylstroom) and Sergeal Petersen (Grey High). At 19, Petersen became the youngest South African to score a try in super rugby match, an achievement he reached on his debut. Last year he accepted the Craven Week Player of the Tournament award.
Craven Week Player of the Tournament
Most have accepted that this award has to go to a Western Province player in 2013. The unofficial Craven Week winners where head and shoulders above the rest. It’s really just a question of which WP player to pick. A few Paarl Gym boys put their hands up. Blindside flank Jacques Vermeulen seems to have the social media vote. Also making an enormous contribution was his captain and no. 8 Rikus Bothma, a player who some tend to write off even though he has been truly outstanding this year. Grant Hermanus, the Gimmies utility backline player, Daniel du Plessis the Paul Roos centre, Daniel du Plessis, hooker from HJS as well as his impressive loosehead schoolmate Thomas du Toit are other WP names that are worthy of sharing the nominee list with Vermeulen and Bothma.
SARU coach of the year
Anyone’s guess. Last year’s winner effectively got sacked this year.
IRB awards
The IRB has already handed the Under-20 award to Welsh flyhalf Sam Davies. The senior level awards ceremony takes place at the end of the international window in November. It has been a British and Irish Lions year and more so, it’s been a Lions series year winning for the men from the North, something that hasn’t happened since 1997. So you can bet your bottom dollar that the Lions will feature a lot in the various nominations. You probably won’t have to look much further than Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny for IRB player of the year. He was good in Australia and even better during his country’s 6 Nations winning campaign. A potential runner-up and best Southern Hemisphere player at the moment must surely be Kieran Read of New Zealand. The B&I Lions, Wales and All Blacks are expected to contest the Team of the Year. It will be hardest for anyone else to get in the way of coach Warren Gatland (Wales and B&I Lions) collecting the Coach of the Year award.
A French referee did win the IRB Referee Award for Distinguished Service 2013 but it was not Romain Poite thankfully. Michel Lamoulie is the ref’s name.
SARU award winners and nominees in 2012:
SARU Rugby Player of the Year: Bryan Habana (KES)
1. Keegan Daniel (Dale College)
2. Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg)
3. Bryan Habana (KES)
4. Pat Lambie (Michaelhouse)
5. JP Pietersen (Generaal Hertzog)
Young Player of the Year: Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg)
1. Marcell Coetzee (Port Natal)
2. Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg)
3. Johan Goosen (Grey College)
4. Elton Jantjies (Florida)
5. Raymond Rhule (Louis Botha)
Team of the Year: The Sharks (Absa Currie Cup)
1. Eastern Province Kings (Absa Currie Cup First Division)
2. The Sharks (Vodacom Super Rugby)
3. The Sharks (Absa Currie Cup)
4. South Africa Under-20 (IRB Junior World Championship)
5. DHL Stormers (Vodacom Super Rugby)
Coach of the Year: John Plumtree (Sharks,Hawera (NZ))
1. Allister Coetzee (DHL Stormers & Western Province, Mary Waters)
2. Pote Human (GWK Griquas, Despatch)
3. John Plumtree (Sharks,Hawera (NZ))
4. Alan Solomons (EP Kings, Grey High)
5. Dawie Theron (SA Under-20, Sand du Plessis)
Super Rugby Player of the Year: Keegan Daniel (Sharks, Dale)
1. Marcell Coetzee (Sharks, Port Natal)
2. Keegan Daniel (Sharks, Dale)
3. Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks, Grey College)
4. EbenEtzebeth (Stormers, Tygerberg)
5. JP Pietersen (Sharks, Generaal Hertzog)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year: Deon Fourie (WP, Pietersburg)
1. Deon Fourie (WP, Pietersburg)
2. JC Janse van Rensburg (Lions, Bastion)
3. Elton Jantjies (Lions, Florida)
4. Louis Ludik (Sharks, EG Jansen)
5. Raymond Rhule (Cheetahs, Louis Botha)
Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year: Hansie Graaff (Griffons, Wonderboom)
1. Hansie Graaff (Griffons, Wonderboom)
2. JW Jonker (Grey College, Pumas)
3. Rudi Mathee (Pumas, Otto Du Plessis)
4. Paul Perez (EP Kings, New Plymouth)
5. Luke Watson (EP Kings, Grey High)
Vodacom Cup Player of the Year: Demetri Catrakilis (WP, St Johns)
1. Marcel Brache (WP, Rondebosch)
2. Demetri Catrakilis (WP, St Johns)
3. Jaco Kriel (Lions, Standerton)
4. Gouws Prinsloo (Sharks XV, Marlow)
5. Jan Serfontein (Bulls, Grey College)
IRB Awards 2012:
IRB Player of the Year: Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
IRB International Team of the Year: New Zealand
IRB International Coach of the Year: Steve Hansen, New Zealand