Nominations for the SA Rugby player’s & teams of the year have been released – here they are with my own predictions.
SARugby.net
Sharks players dominate the nominations for the prestigious SA Rugby Player of the Year Awards – sponsored by Absa, Sasol and Vodacom – which will take place at a glittering banquet at Vodaworld, Midrand, on Tuesday, November 25.
Four players from the province as well as Vodacom Western Province centre Jean de Villiers have been nominated for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award while the Sharks have four nominations in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year race and three in the contest for the Vodacom Super 14 Player of the Year title.
Leading the way for them is No 8 Ryan Kankowski who has been nominated in no less than four categories: SA Rugby Player of the Year; Sasol Young Player of the Year; Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year and Vodacom Super 14 Player of the Year.
Kankowski and De Villiers are joined by Adrian Jacobs, Beast Mtawarira and Bismarck du Plessis in the contest for the Player of the Year title.
The Sharks are also well represented in two of the three new categories that were introduced by SA Rugby this year with Absa Currie Cup-winning coach John Plumtree one of the five nominations for Absa Coach of the Year while in the Vodacom Team of the Year category both the Sharks’ Vodacom Super 14 and Absa Currie Cup teams were nominated.
Griffons and Platinum Leopards players dominate the third new category – Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year – with their players carving up the nominations between them.
The nominations were collated from voting by the rugby media and the winners will be announced at the banquet. Tables at the banquet are available to the public – details are available from katherine@warwickhospitality.co.za or by calling 011-467 8400.
NOMINATIONS (in alphabetical order)
SA RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding rugby player of the 2008 South African season)
Jean de Villiers (Vodacom Western Province), Bismarck du Plessis, Adrian Jacobs, Ryan Kankowski, Beast Mtawarira (all Sharks).
THE SASOL YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding young rugby player of 23 years or younger of the 2008 South African season- born in 1985 or later)
Heinrich Brussow, Robert Ebersohn (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs), Ryan Kankowski, (Sharks), Nick Koster (Vodacom Western Province), Beast Mtawarira (Sharks).
THE VODACOM TEAM OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding South African team or province of the 2008 season. This may be awarded for performances in a single tournament or for a province/franchises performances across a range of competitions)
Platinum Leopards, Sharks (Absa Currie Cup team), Sharks (Vodacom Super 14 team), Vodacom Blue Bulls, Vodacom Stormers.
THE ABSA COACH OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding coach of the 2008 South African season)
Eugene Eloff (Xerox Golden Lions), Rassie Erasmus (Vodacom Stormers), Frans Ludeke (Vodacom Blue Bulls), John Plumtree (Sharks, Absa Currie Cup), Chaka Willemse (Platinum Leopards).
THE ABSA CURRIE CUP PREMIER DIVISION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding player of the 2008 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season)
Heinrich Brussow (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs), Jean Deysel, Ryan Kankowski (both Sharks), Wynand Olivier (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Stefan Terblanche (Sharks).
THE ABSA CURRIE CUP FIRST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding player of the 2008 Absa Currie Cup First Division season)
Cecil Afrika, (Griffons), Clayton Durand (Platinum Leopards), Ashley Johnson, Kennedy Tsimba (both Griffons), Vuyo Zangqa (Platinum Leopards).
THE VODACOM SUPER 14 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding player of the 2008 Vodacom Super 14 season)
Andries Bekker, Jean de Villiers, Conrad Jantjes (all Vodacom Stormers), Ryan Kankowski, Rory Kockott (both Sharks).
THE VODACOM CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(The outstanding player of the 2008 Vodacom Cup season)
Isma-eel Dollie (Vodacom Western Province), Burton Francis, Rocco Jansen (both Vodacom Blue Bulls), Ashley Johnson, Wilton Pietersen (both Vodacom Free State Cheetahs).
Other awards to be presented at the Annual Awards are The Players’ Player of the Year; The Sasol Sevens Player of the Year; The SASOL SA Under-20 Player of the Year; The Women’s Player of the Year; The SAA National Club Champs Player of the Tournament; The Marriott Referee Achievement of the Year; The Coca-Cola Craven Week Player of the Tournament and the Sasol Springbok Journalism Awards for writing, broadcasting and photography.
My Vote
SA RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jean de Villiers
Close second: Adi Jacobs
THE SASOL YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Beast
THE VODACOM TEAM OF THE YEAR
Sharks Currie Cup Team
Close second: Leopards
THE ABSA COACH OF THE YEAR
John Plumtree
Close second: Chaka Willemse
THE ABSA CURRIE CUP PREMIER DIVISION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Stefan Terblanche
Close second: Jean Deysel
THE ABSA CURRIE CUP FIRST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Clayton Durand
THE VODACOM SUPER 14 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ryan Kankowski
Close second: Jean de Villiers
THE VODACOM CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Burton Francis
November 14th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Just hand them all over to Sharks players… simple…
November 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 9:08 am:
Stephen Nell
Cape Town. – Jean de Villiers was a controversial omission from the International Rugby Board’s shortlist for their player of the year title, but may well be honoured in his own country.
The Stormers inside centre and captain is the favourite to be named as South Africa’s rugby player of the year in Johannesburg on 25 November. He had an outstanding season at international and Super14 levels.
De Villiers is competing with four Sharks players for the title. They are No 8 Ryan Kankowski, centre Adrian Jacobs, loosehead prop Beast Mtawarira and hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Kankowski is up for possible awards in four categories – player of the year, young player of the year, Currie Cup player of the year and Super14 player of the year.
De Villiers, however, is the favourite for the player of the year title because he excelled at every level, particularly when playing for his country.
He also shone in his leadership role for the Stormers.
De Villiers’s Stormers teammates Andries Bekker (lock) and Conrad Jantjes (fullback) are also among the nominees for Super14 player of the year.
Sharks scrumhalf Rory Kockott is also on the shortlist.
Western Province flyhalf Isma-eel Dollie is among the candidates for Vodacom Cup player of the year, while No 8 Nick Koster is a candidate for young player of the year.
The presence of Bekker, Jantjes and De Villiers in the Super14 category is proof of the good work Rassie Erasmus has done as Stormers coach.
Erasmus is among the nominees for coach of the year. His main rival for the award should be Sharks coach John Plumtree, whose success in the Currie Cup will be fresh in the judges’ memories.
November 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Well, it they add a few more
categories, everybody that
played can be honoured.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Bekker on any of those lists just shows how farcical the whole affair is!