Du Toit named World Rugby Player of the Year in Monaco
The 32-year-old Du Toit, who also earned the world’s most prestigious player award in 2019, was nominated in the category along with Bok speedster Cheslin Kolbe and the most capped Springbok of all time, lock Eben Etzebeth, as well as Ireland’s Caelan Doris.
Seven Springbok Rugby World Cup winners were named in the 2024 Dream Team – the trio of Du Toit, Etzebeth and Kolbe were joined in the side by Ox Nche (prop), Malcolm Marx (hooker), and the centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel – which capped off a rewarding evening for the top ranked side on the world.
New Zealand’s Wallace Sititi pipped talented young Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the Men's 15s 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.
The glittering event also highlighted other South African contributions to global rugby. Selvyn Davids, captain of the Blitzboks, earned a spot in the Men’s Sevens Dream Team, while SA Rugby won the Rugby for All Award, which celebrates impactful initiatives that uphold rugby’s core values.
SA Rugby’s “The Bag That Builds” project was particularly commended for promoting sustainability by repurposing tournament waste into building materials for community housing projects.
Selvyn Davids.
SA Rugby President Mr Mark Alexander lauded all the players for being honoured in such a remarkable year for the Boks, in which they registered an 84,6% win record after claiming the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title as well as the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate, Freedom Cup, and Prince William Cup (against Wales), and said this was a just reward for their fine efforts on the field this season.
“On behalf of SA Rugby, I’d like to extend our since congratulations to Pieter-Steph and all the players named in the Dream Team for receiving this recognition for all the hard work they’ve been putting in on and off the field this year, as well as Selvyn for his consistently great performances during a challenging season for the Blitzboks,” said Mr Alexander.
“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.
“Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has built something special with the Bok team and the way the players give their all week-in and week-out is an inspiration to us all and shows that hard pays off.
“We are very proud of them and the entire Springbok coaching and management team for their tireless efforts to ensure that our players continue to shine on the international stage.
