Player of the Year nominees

Cheslin for me.

The  fact is teh playes are selected by a pael of 8 international players - from diferent countries and hey ahve access to the special player peformance program that follows the match performces of players in each match hy play in for the full time they play in each match.    I si a hard est for eery player and last year the Player of the year was  Ardie Savea .   In 2022 i was Dupont.   

Last year  it was not a particularly difficult choice - but Etzebeth was on o he nminees ad did not get the award,   

The fact is that it is not an award baed on choise by the public and is based on prfessional ability proven in tes matches,    

Based on he way the panel goes about the issue it is not easy to deermine the winner by the public and I think that Etzebeth may miss he ship again.   He is a player with top class tigh 5 ability - but my ssuspision is that the choice his year would be beween Kolbe and Du Toit,,  With the latter being the likely winner.

As to the breakhough new player of the Year the fact is hat the choice will be Sacha  Feinberg Mngomezulu, 

That is my opinion - but I may be wrong - but the panel will decide and  WR will make the announcement ..               

.      .    

Carter won this award 3 times, McCaw 3 times, Barrett twice….adding up to 10 NZ wins and 3 Bok wins, Habana, Schalk and Steph. 

In the period since 2001 when the award started the Boks have won 3 WCs to NZ’s 2.  Which to me says there is a bias against Springbok players.

Both Eben and Cheslin deserve to win this award. I would be happy with either one. They have been the best in their positions for over 5 years and attested to that with fabulous performances in the WC.

I think Eben’s ‘tough guy’ image counts against him, but his athleticism is what should get rewarded.

Excellent post and points Moz, I couldn't agree more

Eben for me, but Cheslin is right there....

It is a close call between Cheslin and Eben, Cheslin though is the complete rugby player gifted with speed and the ability to think on his feet as well as to create match winning tries from nothing.

PSDT is right up there with Eben and Cheslin...and as much as I like Eben, I think Pieter deserves it more...for me it's Pieter, Cheslin and then Eben...eben got robbed a few years ago, but this year PSDT was absolutely phenomenal...the heart of the team.

Actually I think dud Toit had his best year. He eased up on the process tackling and did some good work at the breakdown, becoming a more balanced player. His running in traffic is still ordinary and he hasn’t learned to offload ….90% of his game is played when the opposition has the ball, but as with so many players he is peaking in his early thirties.

Clearly he is also playing more of a leadership role in the team…a quiet bloke who is finding he is respected by his mates.

Kolbe was al so brilliant throughout. But if it’s close the nod should go to Eben, who was a finalist last year. 

h ttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/nov/16/eben-etzebeth-shows-why-he-is-the-heart-and-soul-of-south-africa

Good read, thanks B.

Blob that’s the best read on the Boks  by an obviously intelligent man….you should post it as a new string, we all tend to ignore stuff that we have to open. And this is essential reading.

Nice post M!

Eben wouldn't be a bad pick but I suspect it would be a sympathy pick for his snub last year . . . given that PSdT has outplayed him and had more impact in every test match this calendar year.

Cheslin is still my choice. Pure magic every time he's on the ball.

Mpower who were the much better onnce and why ?

Go on then . . . which is the test match in this calendar year where Eben and PSdT both started where Eben ouplayed PSdT or had more influence on the outcome?

You called it a bo ld statement. Come on then and back that up. Name the test match in this calendar year.

Are you offline or are you just chicken?

The nominees for the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year 2024 award have been announced, with the Springboks dominating the shortlist. Here are the key details:

Nominees

The four players nominated for the prestigious award are:

• Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

• Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)

• Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

• Caelan Doris (Ireland)

Springboks Dominance

Three out of the four nominees are from South Africa, highlighting the Springboks' strong year in 202412. This comes after South Africa won their second consecutive Rugby World Cup in 2023.

Notable Points

• Eben Etzebeth became South Africa's all-time most-capped player in 2024, surpassing Victor Matfield's record.

• Pieter-Steph du Toit is the only former winner nominated, having won the award in 2019. He could become the first South African to win it twice.

• Cheslin Kolbe and Caelan Doris are first-time nominees for this award4.

• The Springboks won their first Rugby Championship since 2019 this year.

Selection Process

The shortlist was compiled by a panel of former players. The final decision will involve an online fan voting process, with winners to be announced at a ceremony in Monaco on November 24, 20242.

Other Awards

Several other awards will also be presented, including:

• Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year

• Women's 15s Player of the Year

• Men's and Women's Sevens Player of the Year

The World Rugby Awards recognize excellence in rugby over the past year, with nominees having consistently performed at the highest level among the world's best teams3.

"7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Put the pressure on Marcus Smith to score a deserved try and went on to have another stormer as he got stuck into everything during his time on the pitch. He slotted into the second rower again after returning from getting stitched up. He is having some year in Green and Gold. 8"

"4 Eben Etzebeth: Made life incredibly difficult for Jack van Poortvliet as he hassled and harried the halfback with his cross kick and that led to Du Toit’s try, this after Smith exploited his charge out of the line to set up a score for Ollie Sleightholme. A few uncharacteristic penalties go against him but that was a theme of the team and not him alone. 7"

Want to try again?

From SARugbymag:

Who is your Bok MVP?

Hello?

Just name the test match, chump . So far you've made your name mud.

Just name the test match, Emp. So far you're 0/1.

Here's another website supporting my view:

SPRINGBOK PLAYER RATINGS

All scores out of 10

15. Aphelele Fassi – 7
14. Cheslin Kolbe – 9
13. Jesse Kriel – 7.5
12. Damian de Allende – 7.5
11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 7.5
10. Manie Libbok – 6
9. Grant Williams – 8.5
8. Jasper Wiese – 8
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 9
6. Siya Kolisi – 6.5
5. RG Snyman – 8
4. Eben Etzebeth – 8
3. Wilco Louw – 8
2. Bongi Mbonambi – 7.5
1. Ox Nche – 8

Replacements:

16. Malcolm Marx – 7.5
17. Gerhard Steenekamp – 7.5
18. Vincent Koch – 7.5
19. Elrigh Louw – 7
20. Kwagga Smith – 6.5
21 . Cobus Reinach – 6
22. Handre Pollard – 7.5
23. Lukhanyo Am – 6

Is that your only claim . . . the last test . . . where every rugby website diagrees with you?

As for the Scotland game you're blathering on about, did you read the bit where I said games where both players started?

Did you understand what I said? Do you know PSdT didn' t start that game?

M, not siding with Rooi here, and I am a huge Eben fan, but IMO Pieter was the better player this year...probably played more minutes than Eben, was MOM more...etc...Eben came close the year Ardi took it...Cheslin was close a season or what ago...and he might be the only one standing in Pieter's way this year...but it's close...even Moz's is revising his stance on this phenomenal player...Eben is a legend,  but so is Steph...and the stats shows it...especially in the big matches...

". . . because you cannot provide hard core game stats"

Well you can't put up anything at all . . . at least I've provided something other than my own opinion.

Put up an unbiased and objective third party view rather than your own biased opinion or else keep your stupid trap shut.

 Chat GPT ...lol:

"As of November 2024, Pieter-Steph Du Toit has been named Man of the Match twice in 2024. His most notable performance was during the 2024 Rugby Championship, where he was awarded the accolade after a standout performance against Australia. The second award came during the 2024 Rugby World Cup, where Du Toit’s efforts helped South Africa win their fourth title."

So much for Chat...

...Cheslin is a game changer...as is Steph...and Eben...and Ox...and a few others...and they're all playing at the same time!!!!

Jesus Rooinek, did you forget to take your pills? The guy is giving an opinion on a rugby player, he's not claiming your wife is sleeping around.

Actually no, he's disputing the statement I made that PSdT has outperformed Eben in every test match they've both started this year . . . without putting up a shr ed of evidence than his own biased opinion.

Do you want to help him out?

Except of course there was one player who could have saved the Irish test. In the second last phase before the drop the Irish runner falls literally at Dud Toit’s feet with one Irishman protecting. All he had to do was drive one player off the ball or even slow it down and the Boks win the match. Instead he dances back giving Ireland quick ball to set up the drop.

Most consequential mistake of the season.