Following the announcement of the 2024 World Rugby Awards, Planet Rugby writers have put their heads together and come up with their alternate winners.

Regardless of the sport, these kinds of award evenings always drive debate and polarise opinion and the 2024 World Rugby Awards are no different.

While we believe that the panellists managed to get some of the awards given out in Monaco rather spot on, there were some tweaks that we felt should have been made.

Men’s 15s Player of the Year: Ox Nche (South Africa)

We start with the big one for the men’s –  the Player of the Year. Three Springboks were nominated in eventual winner Pieter-Steph du Toit as well as his team-mates Cheslin Kolbe and Eben Etzebeth along with Ireland skipper Caelan Doris.

However, Planet Rugby writers feel that 2024 should have been the year of the prop or more accurately the Ox. In the history of the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year, only once has a front rower won the gong and it was the very first one in 2001 with Keith Wood taking home the honour.

While hookers have been nominated for the award over the years, the props have been snubbed each and every time. This year, however, we believe that not only should Ox Nche have been nominated but he should have won the award.

The loosehead prop was exceptional for the Springboks all year and terrorised opposing tightheads. This, while he still had influence around the park in one of the most physically and technically demanding positions on the rugby pitch. Nche is not just a likeable character off the pitch but a titan on it and it’s high time that the World Rugby Awards appreciate the props more.

Women’s 15s Player of the Year: Ellie Kildunne (England)

No tweak, it’s really hard to argue against the Women’s 15 Player of the Year Award going to the brilliant Ellie Kildunne. There is a case to be made and a good one for her team-mates Alex Matthews and Marlie Packer, but ultimately it felt very much like a one-horse race.

Men’s Sevens Player of the Year: Marcos Moneta (Argentina)

There is no debating the impact that Antoine Dupont had on the France sevens team as they went on to win the two major tournaments of the year.

However, the set-up of the new SVNS series made it easier for France to win just the final two weekends to clinch the title – frankly, a rather silly format making the remainder of the series basically null and void. So it is hardly surprising that the World Rugby 7s Player of the Year was given to a star that didn’t even play half the season.

For us, Argentina were on the balance the better 7s outfit and the brilliant Marcos Moneta was robbed by not even receiving a nomination. So much so that we believe that he actually should have won the award after being Argentina’s top points and try scorer. For us, he beats Dupont and also edges Ireland’s Terry Kennedy and France’s Aaron Grandidier Nkanang.

Women’s Sevens Player of the Year: Maddison Levi (Australia)

Another one that simply cannot be argued. Maddison Levi was unreal throughout the year for Australia. We’d love to offer an alternate winner but Michaela Blyde and Jorja Miller were solid nominees.

Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (South Africa)

Jamie Osborne’s nomination for this award stuck out like a sore thumb with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Wallace Sititi and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu making it a three horse race.

While Sititi was a worthy winner, our writers believe that Feinberg-Mngomezulu deserved to get the nod and just slightly.

The All Blacks back-rower shone for Scott Robertson’s men and produced several standout performances having only broken into the Chiefs’ team before the start of Super Rugby. He impressed on his Test debut against Fiji and built on those performances once Ethan Blackadder sustained an injury in the Rugby Championship.

Meanwhile, Feinberg-Mngomezulu earned his first cap off the bench against Wales and featured twice from the replacements bench against Ireland. He quickly became a regular in a highly competitive position for the Springboks, playing in every one of their first eight games of the year before injury struck. The 22-year-old’s ability to not only break into the team but cement his place and usurp the likes of Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard to start the big Tests against Australia and New Zealand is the definition of a breakthrough.

Frankly, it was a close call between the pair and Sititi probably got the edge having played two more Tests than Feinberg-Mngomezulu but for us, the Springbok was ever so slightly better and his rise more impressive considering who he had ahead of him in the pecking order.

Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year: Aoife Wafer (Ireland)

A technicality denied Ireland star Aoife Wafer the Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year. The blockbuster back-rower enjoyed a stellar season at the highest level but the award is limited to all women’s 15s players who have played no more than one year of international rugby.

Unfortunately for Wafer, she actually made her Test debut against Wales in 2022 playing just 11 minutes from the bench. She hadn’t played another Test match until 2024 meant that brief cameo made her ineligible for the award. To the letter, it is spot on but it still feels wildly harsh.

A bending of the rules ever so slightly would have done no harm and celebrated one of the brightest talents in the women’s game.

Wafer’s team-mate Erin King is a deserving winner and one that was actually eligible both were breakout stars this year but for us, the former edges it.

Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year

The Planet Rugby writers mostly agreed with the Women’s 15s Dream Team but there are multiple tweaks we would have made to the Men’s Dream XV.

While Malcolm Marx enjoyed a solid year back in the Green and Gold jersey, he was not at his best and frankly, we had a three man shortlist ahead of him in Codie Taylor, Julian Montoya and Peato Mauvaka. Ultimately, we settled on All Blacks veteran Taylor.

We also felt that the wrong Argentine flanker was selected in the team with our writers giving Marcos Kremer the nod over Pablo Matera but it was a close call.

The number ten jumper caused much debate as Marcus Smith, Tomas Albornoz and Thomas Ramos were all picked by our writers ahead of Damian McKenzie. Ramos was particularly impressive in the latter stages of the Six Nations and kicked it up a few notches in November – so much so we considered sandwiching him in at full-back – and Albornoz impressed with his starring performances for Los Pumas particularly in the Rugby Championship where he masterminded the victories over the All Blacks and Springboks. But ultimately, the vote fell Smith’s way after a sterling year taking charge of the number ten jumper following the departure of Owen Farrell to France. He was excellent despite England’s mixed performances.

There was just one other change to the backline with our writers picking Springboks full-back Aphelele Fassi instead of Will Jordan. The Sharks’ man had a real breakthrough back into the Springboks set-up after a two-year stint outside of the Green and Gold jumper and thrived in the new attacking system implemented by Tony Brown. After his previous Tests came on the wing, he forced his way into the squad in his favoured position and flourished. His inclusion as also forced a positional switch with Jordan replacing James Lowe as we felt the All Black had a better year than the Ireland international. While he did start regularly at full-back, he featured on the wing too and often finished Test matches in the position as he continued his insane strike rate in international rugby.

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Finally, we debated the inclusion of Davit Niniashvili but ultimately, he fell just short along with his excellent back-three team-mate Aka Tabutsadze while Blair Kinghorn also caused similar debate.

Check out our updated Dream Team with the changes in bold.

15 Aphelele Fassi (South Africa), 14 Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa), 13 Jesse Kriel (South Africa), 12 Damian de Allende (South Africa), 11 Will Jordan (New Zealand), 10 Marcus Smith (England), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), 8 Caelan Doris (Ireland), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa), 6 Marcos Kremer (Argentina), 5 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), 4 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa), 3 Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand), 2 Codie Taylor (New Zealand), 1 Ox Nche (South Africa)

International Rugby Players Men’s Try of the Year: Jose Paiva dos Santos (Romania v Portugal, Rugby Europe, 17 February)

Honestly, just sit back. Watch. And enjoy.

Coach of the Year: Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)

Jérôme Daret achieved the highest honours possible in the sevens game this year but still, the Coach of the Year should have gone to Rassie Erasmus.

The optics of World Rugby not releasing the shortlist of coaches for the award fueled the vendetta claims by Springboks fans and it’s understandable considering what Erasmus achieved upon his return to the head coach role.

Erasmus did win the award in 2019 after leading the Springboks to Rugby World Cup glory after taking over the team from its lowest point in the professional era and this year, he deserved the gong for an entirely different reason.

The men’s 15s game at the international level is still incredibly competitive but South Africa ended the year with just two defeats both coming by a single point, this despite the fact that Erasmus selected 50 players in Green and Gold this year. He certainly has the player pool to do that but it still takes a brave coach to pull the trigger while also welcoming in a new coaching team to develop their style of player while continuously innovating.

Erasmus got the nod from our writers beating John Mitchell, Felipe Contepomi and Joe Schmidt respectively.