Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and ex-head coach lead prestigious award nominees
Jacques Nienaber and Siya Kolisi with the Rugby World Cup trophy PA.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and former head coach Jacques Nienaber headline SA Rugby’s nominations for the SA Sports Awards.
After winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup, SA Rugby is nominated in nine different categories, and three players have been shortlisted for honours.
Springboks feature in nine categories
The nominations were announced on Wednesday evening with SA Rugby featuring in nine of the 22 categories. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday, 5 May.
SA Rugby will compete with Cricket South Africa and Cycling South Africa for the Sports Federation of the Year award, while president Mark Alexander has been nominated for the Administrator of the Year category.
After securing back-to-back World Cup titles, the Springboks are the front-runners to be named Team of the Year and are nominated alongside the T20 Women Cricket Team and the world champion Sheep Shearing team.
Nienaber is up for the Coach of the Year award, while 2023 SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth features in the Sportsman of the Year and People’s Choice Award categories – the latter of which captain Kolisi has also been nominated for.
Kolisi has also been recognised for his invaluable contribution to the Springbok team by being named as a nominee for Sports Star of the Year.
Fly-half Manie Libbok has been nominated for the Newcomer of the Year, while South Africa’s leading women’s referee, Aimee Barrett-Theron, has been named in the Technical Officer of the Year section.
“Having rugby nominated in nine different categories in the county’s most prestige sports awards, is a massive achievement, and we are proud of each individual for being recognised for their efforts on and off the field,” said SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer.
“This is a testament to the hard work the players, coaches, administrators, match officials, and staff put in day after day, and these nominations extend to everyone involved. We wish all of them luck as we look forward to what will be another fantastic awards ceremony.”
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SA Sports Awards nominees
SA Rugby – Federation of the Year
Mr Mark Alexander – Sports Administrator of the Year
Springboks – Team of the Year
Jacques Nienaber – Coach of the Year
Eben Etzebeth – Sportsman of the Year and People’s Choice Award
Siya Kolisi – Sports Star of the Year and People’s Choice Award
Manie Libbok – Newcomer of the Year
Aimee Barrett-Theron – Technical Officer of the Year
Quiz: Can you name every Springboks coach in the professional era?
