Springbok winger Bryan Habana was on Thursday named South African Rugby Player of the Year for the third time, while DHL Western Province picked up a brace of awards as their Absa Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup success was recognised at a glittering ceremony at the Cape Town International Airport. The Sharks also scored off the field, with three awards heading to Durban.
Habana (29) was rewarded for his striking form as he helped the DHL Stormers to the top of the log in Vodacom Super Rugby and the semi-finals of that competition, while extending his record try scoring streak with the Springboks to 47. Habana was in superb form in the Green and Gold this year and scored seven tries in 2012, including a hat-trick against Australia at Loftus Versfeld in The Rugby Championship, resulting in him being the top try scorer in the inaugural season of the competition.
He also took the field in the Absa Currie Cup final in DHL Western Province colours and won the coveted trophy with this team for the first time, after tasting glory with the Vodacom Blue Bulls in 2009.
Unfortunately a knee injury sustained in the match rules him out of the Castle Outgoing Tour to Ireland, Scotland and England. The most capped winger in Springbok history will be missed.
The speed merchant’s third award comes after similar accolades in 2005 and 2007. He becomes only the second player to win the title more than two times, following in the footsteps of Naas Botha, who won it four times.
He was voted as Player of the Year by South Africa’s accredited rugby media and the public, who voted via the Springboks Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Springboks) in competition with fellow nominees Keegan Daniel, Eben Etzebeth, Pat Lambie and JP Pietersen.
Habana’s award was the finale of a star-studded night during which 16 awards were won for rugby excellence across all age groups and competitions in 16 categories.
DHL Western Province had three more winners on the night with Demetri Catrakilis and Deon Fourie being named Vodacom Cup and Absa Currie Cup Players of the Season and Eben Etzebeth walking away with the Young Player of the Year award.
The Sharks also scored a treble on the night with their Absa Currie Cup team being named Absa Team of the Year and their head coach John Plumtree, walking away with the Absa Coach of the Year award. Sharks captain Keegan Daniel was voted as Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year by the six franchise coaches.
Junior Bok midfielder Jan Serfontein, who was named Player of the Tournament after the IRB’s Junior World Cup in South Africa in June, was almost a shoe-in for the SA Under-20 Player of the Year award, while Griffons utility back Hansie Graaff grabbed the spoils of Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year.
Cecil Afrika got the award for Springbok Sevens Player of the Year for the second year running in a new voting process which saw media and the public each contributing 50% of the vote.
The SARPA Players’ Player of the Year Award went to Springbok winger JP Pietersen, while Bryan Habana’s try against New Zealand in Dunedin was voted Supersport Try of the Year by the channel’s viewers.
Mr Oregan Hoskins, President of SARU, congratulated the winners and applauded the achievements of local teams in 2012.
“We saw our Junior Boks win the IRB Junior World Championship on home soil, beating New Zealand for the title at Newlands, we had the DHL Stormers top the log of the Vodacom Super Rugby competition, which also had the Vodacom Blue Bulls and The Sharks in the top six and then saw the latter reaching the final of the competition despite a very tough travelling schedule.
“On the domestic front the enlarged Absa Currie Cup First Division lifted the standard of play considerably and the six-team Absa Currie Cup Premier Division proved a massive success with every weekend delivering nail-biting action,” Hoskins said.
The winners and finalists (where applicable) in all the categories are:
SARU Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Bryan Habana
Finalists: Keegan Daniel, Eben Etzebeth, Pat Lambie, JP Pietersen
Absa Young Player of the Year
Winner: Eben Etzebeth
Finalists: Marcell Coetzee, Johan Goosen, Elton Jantjies, Raymond Rhule.
Absa Team of the Year
Winner: The Sharks (Absa Currie Cup)
Finalists: DHL Stormers (Vodacom Super Rugby), EP Kings (Absa Currie Cup First Division), Junior Boks (IRB Junior World Championship), The Sharks (Vodacom Super Rugby).
Absa Coach of the Year
Winner: John Plumtree (The Sharks)
Finalists: Allister Coetzee (DHL Stormers and Western Province), Pote Human (GWK Griquas), Alan Solomons (EP Kings), Dawie Theron (SA Under-20).
Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Keegan Daniel (The Sharks)
Finalists: Marcell Coetzee (The Sharks), Bismarck du Plessis (The Sharks), Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), JP Pietersen (The Sharks).
Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Winner: Deon Fourie (DHL Western Province)
Finalists: JC Janse van Rensburg (MTN Golden Lions), Elton Jantjies (MTN Golden Lions), Louis Ludik (The Sharks), Raymond Rhule (Toyota Free State Cheetahs).
Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Winner: Hansie Graaff (Griffons)
Finalists: JW Jonker (Ford Pumas), Rudi Mathee (Ford Pumas), Paul Perez (EP Kings), Luke Watson (EP Kings).
Vodacom Cup Player of the Year
Winner: Demetri Catrakilis (DHL Western Province)
Finalists: Marcel Brache (DHL Western Province), Jaco Kriel (MTN Golden Lions), Gouws Prinsloo (Sharks XV), Jan Serfontein (Vodacom Blue Bulls).
SARPA Players’ Player of the Year
Winner: JP Pietersen (The Sharks)
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
Winner: Cecil Afrika
Supersport Try of the Year
Winner: Bryan Habana (Springboks v All Blacks, The Rugby Championship)
Finalists: Johan Goosen (Toyota Cheetahs v Crusaders, Vodacom Super Rugby); Joe Pietersen (DHL Stormers v Highlanders, Vodacom Super Rugby); Paul Jordaan (The Sharks v Reds, Vodacom Super Rugby); Jaco Taute (MTN Golden Lions v Vodacom Blue Bulls, Absa Currie Cup).
SA Under-20 Player of the Year
Winner: Jan Serfontein (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Coca-Cola Craven Week Player of the Tournament
Winner: Sergeal Petersen (Eastern Province)
Marriott Referee Award
Winner: Jaco Peyer
Women’s Achiever of the Year
Winner: Yolanda Meiring (Blue Bulls)
SARU National Club Championship Player of the Tournament
Winner: Nico Luus (Pretoria Police)
Congrats to Habs for winning another player of the year award. He is a legend for sure.
Congrats to my Sharks and our Coach Plum on winning team and coach of the year.
Congrats to all the others on winning their awards. Also a big congrats to JPP on winning Players Player of the Year award. JPP one of my favourite players.
Well done to all, good selection, Keegan aside. I would have gone for someone else. For me Keegan deserved CC player of the year award.
I would also have gone for the SA U20 team for team of the year. Great performance from them!
@ Stormersboy:
Looks as I said yesterday I don’t take these awards too seriously. However, I did think it would be the SA U20 team that would win team of the year. Then thought about it, Super Rugby and Currie Cup are so much longer for a team to stay in and perform for so long. I think Sharks got that award because of the attractive rugby we played, not only by topping the log on Currie Cup and making the final. I also think it was us making Super Rugby Final that persuaded the dissision makers there, whether they it says CC team or not. Think Sharks not winning a cup made no difference to the selectors it was how they played the game. Well I think it was that…. 🙂
I expected Keegan to win Super Rugby Player of the Year. He was outstanding in SR go look at the tries he scores or makes? His off-loading was the best out of any south african player this year. All the Sharks team were doing it, but Keegan was master at it. Also have to remember he was captain and as the season went on became a top class captain. He deserved that award.
5 @ Puma:
meant = decision
4 @ Stormersboy:
You have to remember at the start of SR we were injury ravaged as well. Only game Keegan and Bissie never stood totally out was against Bulls and Stormers at the start, only because of the penalties they supposedly gave away, I still question Mark Lawerence how he blew those two players and Chadwick out the park against Stormers in our 2nd game. Also Kaplan when we played the Bulls at the start.
Just have to hear Matfield after every game Sharks won. He mentioned it was the brilliance of Keegan, especially against your Stormers at the tank, Bulls at the tank and again the play offs and semi. Whether you don’t like Keegan I have no idea, as you often say he does not deserve to be in the Bok team and I disagree with you there, but he most definitely deserved to win Super Rugby Player of the Year award. His work rate on the field was outstanding, he was everywhere all of the time. Unbelievable in both Super Rugby and CC.
Ag, anyhow it is a team sport like I mentioned to you yesterday and the only awards that I do look at is the team award, coach award and probably the players player award as the players seclect that. All the players in the teams that got to finals of Super Rugby and CC all deserve a award. Team effort not just one individual.
@ Puma:
Keegan is a very good player and one of my favorites to watch, no problem with him being up there as one of the nominees at all.
The point that I was trying to make is that in my opinion he didn’t perform consistently well over the whole season like Marcel did so i would have given it to him personally. I think he had an outstanding season, his tackle completion rate is below that of Siya but the major amount of work he got through for the season gives him the edge in my opinion.
It’s true that the awards are voted for and not spat out by a computer so it’s a case of opinion of the majority of the voters and with that in mind I really have no complaints, honestly.
I’m just giving my perspective on how i would have voted.
8 @ Stormersboy:
No problems M. We all differ and we all have our own thoughts.
I wonder if there are stats for most off-loads and players putting others away for tries? Because Keegan put many away for tries this year by his off-loading in the tackle. That brilliant try by Jordaan against the Reds was a off-load from Keegan.
I normally really don’t care too much about stats boet.
Another thing think why Sharks won the team of the year, not only getting to two finals, but the way we got there in Super Rugby. From the Force game at the tank we had to from there win and not only win but win with 4 tries. We did that in every game from there except against Stormers at the Tank we won but never picked up the bonus point, then losing to Lions. Force, Landers, Cheetahs, 4 try bonus point. Bulls and Cheetahs in the end 4 try bonus point. That was extremely difficult to play under that pressure and we done it, it was exciting to watch them go about it. Some really terrific rugby the Sharks played in the end. And then the play-0ffs and the travel. We eventually came short in the final. Still hugely proud of my team, as you are of yours. You have to remember we are all passionate about our teams. We do all think different and that is the way it will always be. I am fine with it.
Anyhow the season is over and it is now our Boks, but really not that enthusiastic about them playing. Their game is boring to watch. First time I am feeling this way, that I don’t care if we win or not. Not great to feel like that about our Boks. Hope they come out playing great rugby that gets our attention.
Congrats to all recipients. All well deserved.
@ Puma:
There is a stat for offloads,
Here you go:
st Offloads
1. Sonny Bill Williams (Chiefs) 43
2. Keegan Daniel (Sharks) 27
3. Aaron Cruden (Chiefs) 24
4. Ben Smith (Highlanders) 22
4. Marcell Coetzee (Sharks) 22
6. Andre Taylor (Hurricanes) 21
6. Israel Dagg (Crusaders) 21
6. Zac Guildford (Crusaders) 21
9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Chiefs) 20
10. Cooper Vuna (Rebels) 19
10. Hosea Gear (Highlanders) 19
10. JP Pietersen (Sharks) 19
10. Wycliff Palu (Waratahs) 19
14. Ashley Johnson (Cheetahs) 18
14. Ma’a Nonu (Blues) 18
14. Robert Fruean (Crusaders) 18
17. Francois Hougaard (Bulls) 17
17. Kurtley Beale (Rebels) 17
19. Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) 16
19. Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks) 16
Most Try assists:
1. Aaron Cruden (Chiefs) 9
1. Zane Kirchner (Bulls) 9
3. Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes) 7
3. Willie Le Roux (Cheetahs) 7
5. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Waratahs) 6
5. Andrew Ellis (Crusaders) 6
5. Daniel Carter (Crusaders) 6
5. Francois Hougaard (Bulls) 6
5. Israel Dagg (Crusaders) 6
5. Tim Bateman (Hurricanes) 6
5. Will Genia (Reds) 6
12. Hosea Gear (Highlanders) 5
12. Kurtley Beale (Rebels) 5
12. Morne Steyn (Bulls) 5
12. Tim Whitehead (Sharks) 5
16. Jean De Villiers (Stormers) 4
16. Julian Savea (Hurricanes) 4
16. Peter Grant (Stormers) 4
16. Riaan Viljoen (Sharks) 4
16. Sonny Bill Williams (Chiefs) 4
@ Puma:
Just to be clear, when i say that I wouldn’t have given the Sharks the team of the year this is not an “anti-sharks” statement but rather one in favour of the baby-Boks.
Also when I say player of the year it isn’t a anti- Keegan statement, but rather a pro Marcel statement
Both should be seen in that light.
11 @ Stormersboy:
Well there you go Keegan like I said had more off-loads in the tackle than any other South African player. That was off the top of my head, as I don’t even look at stats, just go by what I remember.
So now looking at the stats, Keegan was 2nd to SBW and Sharks making more off-loads in the tackle than any other Saffa side. So mostly kiwi players and then Shark players making most off-loads in Super Rugby. The way to go for next year. If teams are not doing it they will be trounced! Very hard to defend against as well.
Most tries assists stats could be passing, but not necessarily off-loads putting players away there. Just wanted to see who had most off-loads in the tackle putting players away for tries, in the South African teams. It had to be Daniel then or Marcel…. 😉
I don’t understand this team of the year award as it’s explained above….someone help me please.
Did the Sharks Currie Cup team really win team of the year? I would’ve though that their SR team would’ve stood a better chance given what they achieved to make the final…
I mean the Sharks Currie Cup team lost in the final to a team they should’ve beaten……?
@ Puma:
Yes, many Sharkies there. They did really well in the try scoring dept. Their defense was a bit porous at the beginning of the year but they tightened up a lot at the end and finished the strongest of any SA side.
Shew back in the blogging world, I think our network controllers were on a sulk and we couldn’t get on but I am Back! First and foremost Welldone WP on your CC win! Welldone! To my Sharks learn to catch a Fing ball in a Fing lineout!!! Well played to the others that tried! Well done Bryan Habana Well deserved!!! Plum you made us all eat humble pie after that abysmal start to S15 congratulations!, Keegan what can one say you deserved it pal! and to my favorite player (after Bismarck ;)) You would have been my selection as well!
There congratulations all over I will get back to my sulks till start of S15! damnt its boring without SA rugby!
Ok fellas,
I’m back from my PAAAAARTY at the Blou Bul Makietie.
Was very lekker to have long chats with Thys Lourens, Willie Kaths, Adolf Malan and a number of other old legends.
Also saw Jacques Olivier briefly, man he has no hair left on the top… hahaha
Adolf Malan left the Legal Profession for property Development in 2002, Ou Oom Thys Lourens is still a gentleman… and such an approachable old toppie.
Not going to spend too much time here now, after all it is my Wedding Aniversary today, and Handbriekie has also come home early….. think we are going to fondu, just the 2 of us….
17 @ grootblousmile:
Hello GBS good to hear you had an enjoyable Makietie, interesting names from the past. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to you and your better half on your anniversary hope you two enjoy the rest of the special day!
Am looking forward to going to listen to former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Ologa speak this evening, cheers vir eers.
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