5 November 2007

After a hugely successful season on many different levels, South Africa's most outstanding rugby players are to be recognised at the 2007 Absa SA Rugby Player of the Year Awards taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Before getting around to looking at the nominees, it's worth reflecting on what could arguably be the greatest season yet for South African rugby.

Worldwide success
In age-group level competition, South Africa finished second to New Zealand at the under-19 World Championships, falling 31-7 in the final.

The national under-21 side finished runners-up at the World Championships, going down 24-13 to France in the title decider after having earlier beaten the French in the 14-10 in the pool stages.

The Emerging Springboks won the IRB Nations Cup over three World Cup teams – Romania, Georgia and Namibia - as well as Argentina A and Italy A.

On the Sevens circuit, SA finished fourth behind New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa, and won the Dubai Sevens.

2007 also brought the country its first Super rugby title as the Bulls and the Sharks clashed in an enthralling Super 14 final in which the Bulls snatched a 20-19 victory at the death.

Of course, the cherry on the top was the Springboks winning the World Cup in Paris on 20 October. Their performances throughout the tournament captured the imagination of the South African public and there is no doubt that the Boks are now the most popular national team in the country.

Glance again at the results South Africa achieved this year. Taken collectively, they are, in a word, outstanding.

Most nominations
And, using that description – outstanding - once more, it should be no surprise that the player nominated for the most awards is the IRB Player of the Year Bryan Habana. What most emphasises his lethal finishing ability is the fact that in the category for Try of the Year the speedster has garnered three of the five nominations.

They include his match winning score in the Super 14 final against the Sharks, his first of four tries against Samoa at the Rugby World Cup, and his chip-and-chase try against Argentina in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Odwa Ndungane's five-pointer for the Sharks against the Crusaders in the Super 14 was also nominated, along with Ryno Benjamin's try for the Lions against the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup during which he fended off Philip Burger three times before scoring.

Player of the Year nominees
Returning to Habana, the incredible thing is that, although he is likely to be named the SA Rugby Player of the Year, any of the other four finalists would be worthy winners of the award and it would hard to argue against their claims. That shows just how high the standard of play has been this year.

Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Percy Montgomery, and Juan Smith, the other nominees, all produced some of the best rugby of their careers.

Matfield was the man of the match in the Rugby World Cup final, clearly showing that he is, without doubt, the best lineout jumper in the game. He also showed an excellent work ethic and great handling skills while on the run.

During the World Cup, Du Preez controlled play from scrumhalf and his performance in the 36-0 thrashing of England in the group stages was sensational. He was excellent on attack and defence and, with his strong kicking game, he was able to take a lot of pressure off flyhalf Butch James.

Percy Montgomery, meanwhile, became the most capped Springbok of all time. His calming influence at fullback played a vital role in the Boks' success and he was brilliant when it mattered most, in the World Cup final. In addition, he finished the tournament as its top scorer and his goal kicking almost guaranteed three points every time he teed a kick up.

Finally, Juan Smith was a colossus throughout the tournament. He excelled in all facets of play, defending powerfully, running well with the ball and in support, dominating the back of the lineouts, and adding four tries to boot. According to the coaches and players, he was the Springboks' player of the World Cup.

On Wednesday night, the Players' Player of the Year will be announced and if it is Smith it won't come as a shock. Following the World Cup, many people now regard him as the best blindside flank in the game.

Super 14 stars
Habana, Matfield and Du Preez – all members of the Super 14 winning Bulls – are back in the running for the Super 14 Player of the Tournament. Two other Springboks also cracked the nod: JP Pietersen, the competition's top try scorer with 12 – four more than Habana, tied with Lelia Masanga as the second highest scorer – and Wikus van Heerden, whose strong showing earned him a place in the Springbok team.

Pietersen has also been nominated in the Most Promising Player of the Year category, and he certainly lived up to that promise during the World Cup as he matured during the tournament.

Francois Steyn, his teammate at the Sharks, was expected to be an impact player off the bench in France, but he became an impact player on the field after replacing the injured Jean de Villiers at inside centre.

The other nominees include the Lions' powerhouse loosehead prop Heinke van der Merwe who, with the retirement of the great Os du Randt after the World Cup final, now has a shot at taking over the number-one jersey in the Springbok pack.

Free State hooker Richardt Strauss is also on the list. A former South African Schools' flanker, he showed off the skills he learnt on the side of the scrum with an amazing tally of nine tries during the Currie Cup.

Finally, Ryan Kankowski, who recently turned 22 years old, made a huge impact for the Sharks as they topped the Super 14 standings, with a series of sparkling performances at eighthman. A former winger, he exhibited pace and great skills with ball in hand to form a powerful loose trio with Jacques Botes and AJ Venter.

Cream of the Currie Cup
Strauss earned another nomination in the Currie Cup Player of the Tournament category. He'll be up against two of his teammates for the award, namely Corniel van Zyl and Willem de Waal, as well as the Sharks' Rory Kockett and Adrian Jacobs.

Van Zyl was the outstanding lineout forward of the competition and his departure to play club rugby in France next season will hurt the Cheetahs, who won the Currie Cup for the third season in succession.

De Waal, meanwhile, topped the points' scoring for the fourth season in a row, finishing with 212, which was 68 more than Conrad Barnard who finished second to the Free State flyhalf.

Kockott was a revelation for the Sharks. Apart from his all-out effort at scrumhalf, he took over the kicking duties for the team - in the absence of Percy Montgomery, Butch James, and Francois Steyn – and became one of the more reliable kickers in the competition.

Jacobs, with his experience, provided a steadying hand in the Sharks' backline. Initially, he shone as an impact player coming off the bench, but later he took over as flyhalf and helped the Sharks become one of the Currie Cup's best counter-attacking teams.

In a year that produced many highlights, there is a little extra gloss on the awards to be handed out in Sandton. All the nominees certainly played their part in making 2007 a special year in the history of South Africa rugby.

AWARDS NOMINEES

Player of the Year

	Bryan Habana: the speedy Springbok wing is a try scoring machine (Photo: SA Rugby)

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