On Friday 9 February it was announced that Rosko Specman has been awarded the South African Rugby Sevens Player of the Year award for 2017. This comes after a stellar season during which he helped the Blitzbokke win the HSBC Sevens Series champions, winning the SA rugby team of the year and coach Neil Powell also being named Coach of the Year at the SA Rugby Awards.
“Neil and his band of Blitzbok brothers made us all very proud last year,”said Mark Alexander, the SA rugby president, “and these awards are very well deserved.”
In addition to the Sevens player of the year, Friday saw the announcement of several other SA Rugby awards, the majority going to 23-year old Malcolm Marx of the Lions. The Springbok hooker was rewarded with three awards following a sublime season in 2017, including SA Rugby Player of the Year, SA Rugby Young Player (U23) and Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year for 2017.
“This is a magnificent achievement for Malcolm and on behalf of the entire South African rugby fraternity, I would like to congratulate him on a superb season,” said Alexander. “Malcolm was a rock for both the Springboks and the Emirates Lions and at only 23 I’m sure he will still go on to accomplish big things in our game.”
Here is a look at the full list of winners and the other nominees in each category:
SA Rugby Player of the Year: Malcolm Marx
Other nominees: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Jaco Kriel, Jan Serfontein
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year: Malcolm Marx
Other nominees: Curwin Bosch, Jean-Luc du Preez, Warrick Gelant, Damian Willemse
Team of the Year: Springbok Sevens
Other nominees: Emirates Lions, DHL Western Province
Coach of the Year: Neil Powell
Other nominees: Johan Ackermann, John Dobson
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year: Rosko Specman
Other nominees: Chris Dry, Werner Kok
Junior Springbok Player of the Year: Juarno Augustus
Other nominees: Curwin Bosch, Damian Willemse
Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Tournament: Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions)
Other nominees: Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert (both Emirates Lions)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year: Warrick Gelant (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Other nominees: Nizaam Carr, Robert du Preez (both DHL Western Province)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year: Jaun Kotze (Down Touch Griffons)
Other nominees: Tertius Maarman (Down Touch Griffons), Jeandré Rudolph (Leopards)
SuperSport Rugby Challenge Player of the Year: Craig Barry (DHL Western Province)
Other nominees: Enver Brandt (Tafel Lager Griquas), Shaun Reynolds (Xerox Golden Lions XV)
Coca-Cola Craven Week Player of the Tournament
Sanele Nohamba (KwaZulu-Natal)
Outsurance Referee of the Year
Jaco Peyper
Women’s Achiever of the Year
Babalwa Latsha (Western Province)
