Pieter-Steph du Toit became the heel eerste Springbok in history to be named World Rugby’s Player of the Year for a second time when he won the top gong on Sunday night.
The 32-year-old Bok flanker, who also won the award in 2019, pipped teammates Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth as well as Irishman Caelan Doris to rugby’s biggest individual prize at a fancy event in Monaco, France.
On top of this, Du Toit was one of seven Springboks named in World Rugby’s Dream Team, the others being wing Kolbe, lock Etzebeth, prop Ox Nche, hooker Malcolm Marx and centres Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi beat talented young South African flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the Breakthrough Player of the Year award, while Jérôme Daret, who led the French men’s Sevens team to the Olympic gold medal in Paris, was named Coach of the Year ahead of SA’s Rassie Erasmus.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said of Du Toit’s award: “For Pieter-Steph to become the first South African to win the World Rugby Player of the Year award twice is a notable achievement, and to have seven Boks in total feature in the Dream Team is simply remarkable.”
Apart from Du Toit, only two other South Africans have walked away with top honours – Schalk Burger in 2004 and Bryan Habana in 2007.
Erasmus was also full of praise for the players and said: “To have so many of our players feature in the awards is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and the Springbok brand, and that’s what makes this such a special group.”
The bulk of the Springbok arrived in Johannesburg on Monday, and while the coaches will enjoy a well-deserved break, the players will return to their franchises and clubs to participate in their respective competitions.
