It’s rugby awards season in South Africa. Nominees have been made known and various player, coach and team of the year prizes will be handed out on Thursday 01 November 2012 in Cape Town. What isn’t clear is who the schoolboy rugby player of 2012 will be.
The obvious name that comes to mind is that of the most well-known SBR player of 2012, one Handre Pollard of Paarl Gym. Pollard has had an excellent season. He performed well for his school, for the SA Schools team and he was part of the Baby Boks under-20 team that won the Junior World Championships. BUT! And it’s a big but because in the past few year’s SARU has handed out an award called the “Craven Week Player of the Tournament” and not the School Rugby Player of the Year. So naturally one has to assume that the 2012 award has to go to a player that stood out during Craven Week. And if there was one week during the whole of 2012 in which Handre Pollard (injury troubled at the time) struggled to make an impact, it was Craven Week. So unlike 2010 when Johan Goosen (Grey College) walked away with the main prize or 2011 when Jan Serfontein (Grey College) was crowned as Craven Week Player of the Tournament, we have a situation now in 2012 where the award could foreseeable go to someone other than the player deemed by many to be the best of the 2012 season.
Based on Craven Week performances the leading candidates have to be Bulls’ prop Pierre Schoeman (Affies) and centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Waterkloof). Both players were outstanding during the tournament which the Blue Bulls ended up winning (unofficially). Furthermore both players have excelled for their schools as well and were chosen for the SA Schools team. There were many other notable performers as well. Eastern Province had a really good Craven Week with some useful players contributing along the way. Their star player was undoubtedly speedy wing Sergeal Petersen (Grey High) who was yet another name that kept cropping up during the season in connection with sublime play. KwaZulu-Natal didn’t have the best time at the tournament but in fullback Jesse Kriel (Maritzburg College), they undeniably had one of the best individual players at the event held in Port Elizabeth.
There are a few other players that shone and must have an outside shot at winning the award. The Lions made it to the unofficial final and yet surprisingly only one of their players, big unit hooker Malcolm Marx (KES) went on to represent SA Schools. Marx had earned much praise during the year for his powerful carries and had to live up to his reputation at Craven Week. Outeniqua, a high school from George in the South Western Districts region, ended 2012 as one of the highest ranked school teams in the nation. They produced two top Grade 11 backline players in Warrick Galant and Duhan van der Merwe. Of the two, wing Duhan definitely caught the eye of spectators and viewers alike with some at times brilliant play. Finally it’s back to the winning Bulls camp. The Bulls really surprised everyone with their high tempo flowing running rugby style which is so contrary to what we see from their senior counterparts. Flyhalf Ryno Eksteen (Affies) was a super decision-maker, pacy centre Jurie Linde (Affies) did not ever seem to put a foot wrong and attack-minded fullback Jaco Hayward (Centurion) was extremely unlucky not to make SA Schools. Bulls openside flank Thabo Mabuza (Centurion), who like Pierre Schoeman was an SA Schools player in 2011, also performed admirably.
The senior rugby award nominees for 2012 are (in alphabetical order):
SARU Rugby Player of the Year: 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: 1. Marcell Coetzee (Port Natal) 2. Eben Etzebeth (Tygerberg) 3. Johan Goosen (Grey College) 4. Elton Jantjies (Florida) 5. Raymond Rhule (Louis Botha) Absa Team of the Year: 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) Absa Coach of the Year: 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) Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year: 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) Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year: 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: 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: 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)Note: Sergeal Petersen was named as the Craven Week Player of the Tournament on 01/11/2012
@beet: Hahahaha!Ah man…next time
@Playa: You missed it. It was an all black background before the gold appeared :smile:
@beet: Hahahaha!Not too sure about oneness…but they aure are the closest wannabees!
Hi there @Beet please can you give me a Hilton Jersey as my Avatar, excellent site by the way.
Ek ho vi jou dop hoor!! – kyk vinaand mooi aand in Bos………..vleise gebraai………ietsie gevat ………..noggi vi ma geplan nie…met weskus gechat self met bhp…………nee wat die kaap is nog hollands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t believe Banana player of the year. He should have been Big Screen Viewer of the Year.
I also thought that Yvonne Styger should have been Female player of the Year.
Surely Japhta and Rasta better refs than Pyper. With Lourens vd Merwe also in the mix now it appears that Grey’s now focussing on producing refs rather.
@Braveheart: Gatiepie, jou beatty.
@beet: thanx beet,at least you did not drop me to the second 15 by giving me a black and gold jersey,at least on your site i can play for the firsts
@Playa: I’ve changed the Queens jersey background to show their oneness with the school from the town of King
@QC86: Hahahahaha! You’re a funny man.
@ Beet-the site is really starting to take off (and it is only preseason).Well done on keeping it fresh and interesting. Your efforts have been enjoyed by all.Also well done greenblooded on using all your GW skills to poach on R365.
@GreenBlooded: Peyper????? .. eeeisch. I think he was 4th in SA.
Results are in:
SARU Player of the Year: Habana
Young Player of the Year: Etzebeth
ABSA Team: SHARKS!!!!
ABSA Coach: John Plumtree (SHARKS!!!!)
SuperRugby Payer of the Year: Keagan Daniel (SHARKS!!!!)
Currie Cup Premier Player of the Year: Deon Fourie
Currie Cup 1st Div Player of the Year: Hansie Graaf
Vodacom Cup Player of the Year: Demitri Catrakilis
Player’s Player of the Year: JP Pietersen (SHARKS!!)
Sevens Player of the Year: Cecil Afrika
Try of the Year: Habana (SA vs NZ)
U20 Player of the Year: Jan Serfontein
Craven Week Player of the Tourney: Sergeal Petersen
Referee of the Year: Jaco Peyper
Womans Achiever: Yolanda Meiring
Club Championship Player of the Tourney: Nico Luus
@BOG: yes and a picture of a small pair of scissors,like in those cut out dresses that playa cuts out for his Ken Barby doll
Beet, thank you for the beautiful WBH jersey, the pride of the Berg!
@QC86: White on a white background? Perhaps a dotted line to show the outline of the jersey?
@beet: I would not consider myself a Keegan Daniel fan, but he is the only nominee who is not going on tour and that would be egg in the face of HM.
@beet: cant you add some colour to that QC strip?
@QC86: Eish!The Kudu was wounded.Always beware the wounded Kudu.
@Playa: but not the kudu
@QC86: Hahahaha!We still culled the Fish…Pink Jerseys and all!
@ Beet: Thanks man.This looks awesome!
I’d go with Eksteen, as player of the tournament. Great attacker, distributes well, and not bad with his boot. So glad he’s goin to WP, where he can still play his running game, instead of Bulls where he would’ve been told to kick half the time
@Playa: playa, beet should give you one of those pink dale jerseys you guys played in against Selborne,was not pretty
@beet: There goes the neighberhood!..lol…I would go with either Janse v Rensburg or Eksteen as the CW player of the year.Deon Fourie must get some award for his season!
Today is the big day. Etsebeth’s performance in the CC final may just have swayed the vote his way if it hadn’t already been decided. Either way he will be young player of the year. Baby Bokke and Dawie Theron look set for team and coach awards. SR award to one of the Sharks probably Keegan. CC player of the year Deon Fourie ahead of Raymond Rhule.
And then Craven Week Player of the Tournament???
Bog, please let us know when it’s safe to visit Bloem again, and in particular, Grey.
@Andre T: It must have been in the Cape. Surely, in Gauteng, particularly the West Rand, is crime-free, not so?
@beet: Hi Beet, any luck on a Wynberg Boys High Avataar for me?
@Griffon: Agreed, hope Swiel get’s a chance soon, a real gifted ball player of note.
@Andre T: The Pride of Pietersburg, or as a good friend of mine once said, the only decent bloke to come out of the North.
Out of this talented fiels of players, Pollard will surely get the Player of the year award. The thing is Pollard is so overrated. He’s a very talented boy, but why call him up when you could call up Timo Swiel who’s way above Pollard in terms of game play and most things. This thing about size is ruining rugby a bit. Another example is De Johng, he was benched for Taute, who’s talented, but inexperienced. Yes size counts a bit in mostly forwards, but in backline if you’re talented you should nake it and not get cut because of lacking size
@Andre T: @Andre T, that power has always been in the Cape my boy, and with the addition of the boys from the West Rand (Florida and Monument if I am not mistaken) it will only go better. Sorry to hear about the robbery, you sure its not one of those “insurance robberies”? Who knew Klerksdorp was that dangerous?
@Playa: Avataars are assigned by Beet. I think you are the first DC blogger here so he is no doubt furiously designing a Dale College one as we speak.
Beet, how do I get a Dale College avatar on this thing?
The East Rand is not what it was during the Stander Gang years of the 80’s Mr T, get out of there…LOL!Things are good in the Cape, a bit dusty with the all the dust blowing out of our trophy cabinet after currie cup glory.
Ja nee, the 365 blog died a pretty quick death.I suffered in silence wondering where everyone was.I’ve spent the last hour browsing through this blog.What a breath of fresh air!
@Playa: What’s up there in Currie Cup country? I can’t get into 365 anymore. Lost my passwords and all my laptops where the password hints were sent to. I got robbed a while ago and they cleaned me out. Took everything I owned(not much) Gunpoint bru,6 of them, shat myself.
@Playa: No Problem. I enjoyed dodging Oom Paul for a few days. Amazingly he told us to start our own site and then doesn’t want us to go. The 365 blog is DEAD!!
So this is where the real bloggers have been hiding out!
So good to be amongst familiar names again, thanks Greenblooded for the hook-up.
Late change to the WRAA in the JOKER OF THE YEAR award must most certainly go to Heyneke Eier for not picking the BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD……………DEON FOURIE…………he should have been captain as well.
Lyk my die rugbykrag het nou heeltemaal Kaap toe verskuif met hul oorheersing Saterdag. Die eens magtige OVS het die Lions amper gejoin in die Sport Pienaar ligas.
@BoishaaiPa: Maggies, jy is nog nat agter die ore! Seker maar die Red Heart wat jou ouer laat voorkom. Julle is seker nou almal lojale ondersteuners vd EP Kings vir die volgende seisoen, of hoe?
A toss-up between Pollard and Janse van Rensburg.
@BoishaaiPa: Thanks. Got to figure out a way to change it now. I keep getting locked out. :sad:
I used to hate old Pote during his EP days. Always thought of him as a vuilhond. He always made me thing of Bluto, the bearded villian from Popeye. Somehow got to like him as a FS player tho.
Schoolboy player of the year is a no-brainer..Has to be Pollard, CW excludes to many players and one must look at the whole year and season and not just one week of a tournament. Having said that, those mentioned players all stood out for their schools as well, but Pollard did well at JWC and was the catalyst in a very good Paarl Gym side.
BTW Beet…Pote Human is a product of Hoerskool Despatch and not Grey High…I would know..I played against him!