Photo Credit: Speedshots.co.za
The list of nominations for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Awards for 2020 has a distinct blue tinge to it, with the Vodacom Bulls underlining their dominance of the season with a host of names on the shortlists.
The Vodacom Bulls accumulated 11 nominations out of a possible 22 for which they were eligible, with Springbok No 8 Duane Vermeulen leading the individual lists with three nominations, in the categories for overall SA Rugby, Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked, and Carling Currie Cup Player of the Year.
Vermeulen, the SA Rugby Player of the Year in 2014, is up against his Vodacom Bulls team-mate Cornal Hendricks, Curwin Bosch (Cell C Sharks), Steven Kitshoff (DHL WP / Stormers) and Frans Steyn (Toyota Cheetahs) for the main award.
Bosch, the top points’ scorer of the season, is also a nominee in the Young Player of the Year Award, where he contests the title with the Vodacom Bulls duo of Stedman Gans and Ruan Nortje, as well as Dylan Richardson (Cell C Sharks) and Wandisile Simelane (Emirates / Xerox Lions).
Gans is one of the three nominees for Springbok Sevens Player of the Year – in competition with the “Davids twins”, Angelo and Selvyn, for this award.
Just like Gans, who also shone for the Vodacom Bulls, Hendricks and Marco van Staden were also nominated in two categories each.
Jake White and the Vodacom Bulls have also been recognised for their successful Vodacom Super Rugby and Super Rugby Unlocked and Carling Currie Cup campaigns with nominations in the categories for Coach and Team of the Year.
Other nominees in these categories are Sean Everitt and the Cell C Sharks, runners up in the Carling Currie Cup, as well as Neil Powell and the Blitzboks, winners of two tournaments in the shortened HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2019/20, and overall silver medal winners in the series.
The winners in the eight categories will be revealed on the @Springboks Twitter handle from 10h00 to 11h15 on Thursday, 4 March. Votes were cast by local media and SA Rugby Department staff.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
SA Rugby Player of the Year
1 Curwin Bosch (Cell C Sharks)
2 Cornal Hendricks (Vodacom Bulls)
3 Steven Kitshoff (DHL WP / Stormers)
4 Frans Steyn (Toyota Cheetahs)
5 Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls)
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
1 Curwin Bosch (Cell C Sharks)
2 Stedman Gans (Vodacom Bulls)
3 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls)
4 Dylan Richardson (Cell C Sharks)
5 Wandisile Simelane (Emirates / Xerox Lions)
Team of the Year
1 Vodacom Bulls
2 Cell C Sharks
3 Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
1 Sean Everitt (Cell C Sharks)
2 Neil Powell (Blitzboks)
3 Jake White (Vodacom Bulls)
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
1 Angelo Davids
2 Selvyn Davids
3 Stedman Gans
Vodacom Super Rugby and Unlocked Player of the Year
1 Frans Steyn (Toyota Cheetahs)
2 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)
3 Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls)
Carling Currie Cup Player of the Year
1 Cornal Hendricks (Vodacom Bulls)
2 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)
3 Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Bulls)