Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus reacts to World Rugby Awards as Pieter-Steph du Toit takes the top prize
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has praised his players after Pieter-Steph du Toit was named World Rugby Player of the Year for a second time.
Du Toit beat teammates Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth, as well as Ireland star Caelan Doris, to the top individual prize in the men’s 15s game.
Hard work of the Springboks players
In doing so, he becomes the first South African player to claim the award on more than one occasion having first done so back in 2019 after winning the Rugby World Cup with the Springboks in Japan.
32-year-old Du Toit was also selected in the 2024 World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team along with six other Springbok World Cup winners – Etzebeth, Kolbe, Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel which capped off a rewarding evening for the top-ranked side on the world.
Head coach Erasmus was full of praise for his stars that featured in the team as well as those Boks who did not make the cut.
“To have so many of our players feature in the awards a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and the Springbok brand, and that’s what makes this such a special group,” Erasmus said.
“What makes this achievement even more significant is that we used 50 players in total this season and rotated our squad regularly, which shows the calibre of players they are. But rugby is a team sport, and it takes each one of the squad members to do their bit to place one another in positions to shine.
“With the vast player depth in our squad, I’m sure a few more players were close to being nominated, but each one of these players certainly deserves this recognition and we are very proud of them.”
Erasmus praises Boks players and staff
Erasmus was notably overlooked for the Coach of the Year award with France 7s coach Jérôme Daret, who led his side to an Olympic Gold medal, receiving the gong.
South Africa’s 45-12 victory over Wales this weekend brought an end to the Springboks’ 2024 season and the head coach thanked his squad and staff for their efforts this season, which saw the side win 11 of their 13 games with their two losses coming by just a single point.
“It takes each person in a squad to perform their role proficiently to ensure that the players can deliver on the field, so thank you to the winners and Dream team players, as well as every other player who has been part of the squad this year, not to mention the coaches, medical team, and team management for their commitment to the cause and for allowing us to build such a special team. This is all thanks to the collective effort and well done to all involved,” Erasmus added.
