By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Rugby announced the nominees for the union’s 2025 awards, with the generational talent featuring on the shortlist for two gongs: the Men’s and Young Player of the Year Awards.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is in the running for two awards, with the fly-half also featuring on the list for the SA Rugby Young Player of the Year gong.
He is nominated along with fellow Springboks Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie and Zachary Porthen, as well as Junior Springbok scrum-half Haashim Pead, who played a key role for the SA U20s in their World Rugby U20 Championship triumph.
Young Player of the Year nominee Hashim Pead has also been nominated in the category for Junior Springbok Player of the Year, along with SA U20 captain Riley Norton, and Cheswill Jooste, while the three nominees for the Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year Award are Selvyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk and Impi Visser, all of whom were part of the Blitzbok squad that won the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles in May.
Malcolm Marx could win the SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year Award for the second time, having done so back in 2017, while Steph Du Toit could break Bryan Habana’s record as a three-time winner, having taken the honour in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Ox Nche, Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Jasper Wiese could all become first-time winners.
Meanwhile, four previous winners of the SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year have been nominated again, including last year’s winner Nadine Roos, who is joined by Aseza Hele, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, and Babalwa Latsha on the shortlist for the second year running. The quartet, along with the fifth nominee, Byrhandré Dolf, all played key roles helping South Africa reach the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in a watershed season for the Springbok Women.
That national-team excellence carries through to the Coach and Team of the Year awards, with Rassie Erasmus, Philip Snyman, Kevin Foote and Swys de Bruin all shortlisted, alongside the Springboks, Blitzboks and Junior Springboks for Team of the Year.
2025 SA Rugby Awards nominees
SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Malcolm Marx
Ox Nche
Jasper Wiese
SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year
Byrhandre Dolf
Aseza Hele
Libbie Janse van Rensburg
Babalwa Latsha
Nadine Roos
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Springboks/Stormers)
Ethan Hooker (Springboks/Sharks)
Canan Moodie (Springboks/Bulls)
Haashim Pead (Junior Springboks/Lions)
Zachary Porthen (Springboks/Stormers)
Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year
Selvyn Davids
Shilton van Wyk
Impi Visser
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
Cheswill Jooste
Riley Norton
Haashim Pead
Team of the Year
Junior Springboks
Springboks
Springbok Sevens
Coach of the Year
Swys de Bruin (Springbok Women)
Rassie Erasmus (Springboks)
Kevin Foote (Junior Springboks)
Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens)
Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Donavan Don (Boland Kavaliers)
Gurshwin Wehr (Griquas)
George Whitehead (Griquas)
Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Keagan Fortune (Valke)
Andrew Kota (Griffons)
Willem van den Hever (Griffons).