Etzebeth named 2022 Player of the Year as SA Rugby Awards reveal winners

The 31-year-old Springbok lock was the big winner in the annual SA Rugby Awards announced on Tuesday, which also saw Bulls winger Canan Moodie named Young Player of the Year and Sevens and XVs star Nadine Roos walk away with Springbok Women's Player of the Year honours.

Etzebeth, already a Test centurion, made his Springbok debut in 2012 and reached his 100th Test against Wales in July.

He earns the award for the first time after narrowly losing out to Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in 2021, with his performances over the last 12 months impossible to ignore.

Etzebeth edged out fellow nominees Kolisi, Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Frans Malherbe for the award.

"Eben has been a Springbok stalwart for more than a decade and it's just amazing to see how he keeps getting better with age, playing with maturity and providing valuable leadership to the Springboks," said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander.

"The Boks are building on depth and experience with an eye on the Rugby World Cup later this year, and I think they are in a good space under the coaching of Jacques Nienaber and the captaincy of Siya, but Eben's role can't be underestimated as he is not only the most experienced member of the squad, but he also sets the example for younger players and was widely regarded as one of the best players on the planet last year."

Canan Moodie, who celebrated his Springbok debut last year with a superb try against Australia in Sydney while still an Under-20, was voted as the Young Player of the Year. He was nominated ahead of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse, Evan Roos and Henco van Wyk, underlining the rich vein of talent coming through in South Africa.

Nadine Roos highlighted her versatility in 2022 as she shone for both the national XVs and sevens teams in two Rugby World Cup tournaments, and was rewarded for her brilliant form by being named Springbok Women's Player of the Year.

Roos was also included in the World Rugby Dream Team after the RWC Sevens in Cape Town in September.

The other nominees were 2021 winner Lusanda Dumke, as well as Aseza Hele, who won the award in 2019, Zintle Mpupha and Aphiwe Ngwevu.

Hard-working forward JC Pretorius won the award for Springbok Sevens Player of the Year during a season in which the Blitzboks won four tournaments and just missed out on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series title. The other nominees were Selvyn Davids and Zain Davids.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who led the SA Under-20s to a clean sweep of four wins in the Six Nations U20 Summer Series in Italy, was named Junior Springbok Player of the Year, edging out team-mates Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ruan Venter.

The Stormers, who won the inaugural United Rugby Championship, were voted as the Team of the Year, with John Dobson duly taking the award for Coach of the Year. The other nominees in these two categories were the Springboks and Jacques Nienaber, and the Pumas and Jimmy Stonehouse.

The Pumas' triumph in the Currie Cup was reflected in the award for Premier Division Player of the Year, which was won by Sebastian de Klerk, who scored eight tries from outside centre during the season as the Lowvelders won the title from fourth spot on the log. He edged out provincial team-mates Willie Engelbrecht and Devon Williams for the title.

The award for Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year was won by Down Touch Griffons scrumhalf Jaywinn Juries, who contributed a massive 169 points to the Northern Free Staters' cause during the season which saw them not only win the competition but also earn promotion to the Premier Division at the end of the season.

Lusanda Dumke, who led the Border Ladies to a second successive Women's Premier Division title, won the award for Provincial Women's Player of the Year.

The OUTsurance Referee of the Year, for a second successive season, is Aimee Barrett-Theron, who represented South Africa at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Barrett-Theron also made her debut in the URC, establishing her as one of the foremost women's referees in the world.

"Looking at the quality of young talent coming through, Canan was deservedly voted as the Young Player of the Year, but the other names of the list of nominees are all expected to still make a major mark on South African rugby, which bodes very well for the future," Alexander added.

"The winners in the other categories for our national teams, Nadine, JC and Sacha, all deserve these accolades after superb performances during the season. Starring in XVs and sevens takes some doing and Nadine never missed a beat; JC was a constant star for the Blitzboks; and Sacha is another one of the upcoming crop of future stars.

"I would also like to congratulate John [Dobson] and the Stormers on their magnificent achievement in winning the URC, as well as Sebastian, Jaywinn and Lusanda for leading the way in our very tough provincial competitions."