Springboks dominate World Rugby’s Dream Team

Pieter-Steph du Toit cemented his place in history by becoming the first South African to be named World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Player of the Year for a second time.

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In addition, the Springbok forward and six of his national team-mates were named in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team for 2024 at the glittering awards ceremony in Monaco on Sunday evening.

The 32-year-old Du Toit, who also won the award for most prestigious player in the world in 2019, was nominated in the category together with Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe and the most capped Springbok of all time, lock Eben Etzebethas well as that of Ireland Caelan Doris.

Seven Springbok Rugby World Cup winners were named in the 2024 Dream Team – the trio of Du Toit, Etzebeth and Kolbe were joined by Os Nche (support), Malcolm Marx (hooker), and the middle link of Damian de Allende And Jesse Kriel – ending a rewarding evening for the top-ranked team in the world.

The eight non-Springboks who made the World Rugby Dream Team were Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand), Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), Pablo Matera (Argentina), Caelan Doris (Ireland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Damian McKenzie (New Zealand). Zealand), James Lowe (Ireland) and Will Jordan (New Zealand).

In other awards, New Zealand Wallace Sititi pipped talented young Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year Award, while Jerome Daretwho led the French men’s sevens team to the Olympic gold medal in Paris, was named Coach of the Year.

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The glittering event also highlighted other South African contributions to global rugby.

Selvyn Davidscaptain of the Blitzboks, earned a place in the Men’s Sevens Dream Team, while SA Rugby won the Rugby for All Award, which celebrates impactful initiatives that uphold rugby’s core values.

SA Rugby’s ‘The Bag That Builds’ project was particularly praised for promoting sustainability by repurposing tournament waste into building materials for community housing projects.

Selvyn Davids. Image: SA Rugby website

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander commended all the players for being honored in such a remarkable year for the Springboks, which saw them register a winning record of 84.6% after claiming the Rugby Championship title and the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate, Freedom Cup, and Prince William Cup (against Wales), and said this was a just reward for their good efforts on the field this season.

“On behalf of SA Rugby, I would like to extend our congratulations to Pieter-Steph and all the players named in the Dream Team for receiving this recognition for all the hard work they have put in on and off the field this month. year, as well as Selvyn for his consistently great performances during a challenging season for the Blitzboks,” said Alexander.

“For Pieter-Steph to become the first South African to win the World Rugby Player of the Year award twice is a remarkable achievement, and to have a total of seven Boks in the Dream Team is simply remarkable.

“Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has built something special with the Springbok team and the way the players commit themselves week in week out is an inspiration to us all and shows that hard work pays off.

“We are very proud of them and the entire Springbok coaching and management team for their tireless efforts to ensure our players continue to shine on the international stage.

Malcolm Marx. Image: SA Rugby website

Os Nche. Image: SA Rugby website

Eben Etzebeth. Image: SA Rugby website

“In addition, the Rugby for All Award is testament to the hard work our SA Rugby staff have put in off the field of play. It is a project that has been underway for a number of years and we are humbled to be in a position to make a difference in the lives of South Africans who are struggling to make ends meet.”

The recognition for their colossal performances in green and gold this season, which contributed immensely to the team’s eleven wins in thirteen matches, followed nominations for Etzebeth in 2013 and last year, and Kolbe and Du Toit in 2019 respectively.

Other South Africans to have received nominations for the Men’s 15s Player of the Year Award in the past decade include Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen (both in 2014), Faf de Klerk and Malcolm Marx (both in 2018) and Lukhanyo Am (2022 ). ).

Apart from Du Toit, only two other South Africans have walked away with top honors: Schalk Burger in 2004 and Bryan Habana in 2007.

Erasmus also praised the players and the entire Springbok team, saying: “For so many of our players to feature in the awards is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and the Springbok brand, and that is what makes this a special group.

Cheslin Kolbe. Image: SA Rugby website

Damian de Allende. Image: SA Rugby website

Jesse Kriel. Image: SA Rugby website

“What makes this achievement even more important is that we have used a total of 50 players this season and have rotated our squad regularly, which shows the caliber of players they are. But rugby is a team sport, and it requires every team member to do their part to put each other in positions where they can shine.

“With the tremendous depth of players in our squad I am sure a few more players were close to being nominated, but each of these players certainly deserves this recognition and we are very proud of them.”

Erasmus also thanked the entire Bok team for their efforts this season: “Every person in a team must fulfill their role skillfully to ensure that the players can perform on the field, so thanks also to the winners and Dream Team players just like every other player who was part of this year’s squad, not to mention the coaches, medical team and team management for their commitment to the cause and for allowing us to field such a special team to build. This is all thanks to the collective effort and good work of everyone involved.”

The bulk of the Springbok squad will arrive in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon, and while the coaches will enjoy a well-deserved break, the players will return to their franchises and clubs to take part in their respective competitions.

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