Duane Vermeulen cleaned up in the 2014 SA Rugby magazine Fans' Awards.
The Springbok No 8 won six awards, including Most Valuable Player of the Year, Test Player of the Year and Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year.
He was also named Hard Man and Big Hitter of the Year, and won the Individual Performance of the Year award for his Man of the Match effort against the All Blacks at Ellis Park.
Willie le Roux won two awards – Offloader of the Year and Linebreaker of the Year – while Pat Lambie's match-winning penalty against the All Blacks won him the Kick of the Year and Moment of the Year awards.
More than 26,000 votes were cast across 20 categories as fans were given the chance to have their say.
2014 SA RUGBY MAGAZINE FANS' AWARDS WINNERS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen (Springboks) – 47%
Handré Pollard (Junior Boks & Springboks) – 21%
Warren Whiteley (Lions) – 17%
Nizaam Carr (WP) – 10%
Seabelo Senatla (Blitzboks) – 5%
TEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen – 66%
Marcell Coetzee – 15%
Willie le Roux – 11%
Handré Pollard – 6%
Victor Matfield – 2%
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Handré Pollard (Bulls & Springboks) – 58%
Seabelo Senatla (Blitzboks & WP) – 18%
Faf de Klerk (Lions) – 15%
Thomas du Toit (Sharks) – 6%
Stephan Lewies (Sharks) – 3%
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Western Province – 33%
Springboks – 24%
Blitzboks – 23%
Sharks (Super Rugby) – 14%
UCT – 6%
VODACOM SUPER RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen (Stormers) – 55%
Jacques Potgieter (Waratahs) – 18%
Frans Steyn (Sharks) – 13%
Damian de Allende (Stormers) – 8%
Cornal Hendricks (Cheetahs) – 6%
CURRIE CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jaco Kriel (Golden Lions) – 36%
Nizaam Carr (Western Province) – 32%
Juan de Jongh (Western Province) – 12%
Warren Whiteley (Golden Lions) – 11%
Cheslin Kolbe (Western Province) – 9%
VARSITY CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Armand van der Merwe (Pukke) – 30%
Robert du Preez (Maties) – 29%
Teboho Mohoje (Shimlas) – 29%
Shaun McDonald (UCT) – 9%
Sylvian Mahuza (Pukke) – 3%
COACH OF THE YEAR
Johan Ackermann (Lions) – 48%
Allister Coetzee (WP) – 17%
Heyneke Meyer (Springboks) – 16%
Neil Powell (Blitzboks) – 12%
Jake White (Sharks Super Rugby) – 7%
OFFLOADER OF THE YEAR
Willie le Roux (Cheetahs & Springboks) – 55%
Jan Serfontein (Bulls & Springboks) – 20%
Sarel Pretorius (Cheetahs) – 13%
Jacques Potgieter (Waratahs) – 10%
Clayton Blommetjies (Cheetahs) – 2%
HARD MAN OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen (Stormers & Springboks) – 68%
Marcell Coetzee (Sharks & Springboks) – 16%
Eben Etzebeth (Springboks) – 7%
Willem Alberts (Sharks & Springboks) – 5%
Bakkies Botha (Toulon & Springboks) – 4%
BIG HITTER OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen (Stormers & Springboks) – 52%
Marcell Coetzee (Sharks & Springboks) – 17%
Willem Alberts (Sharks & Springboks) – 12%
Jan Serfontein (Springboks) – 11%
Nizaam Carr (Stormers & WP) – 8%
LINEBREAKER OF THE YEAR
Willie le Roux (Cheetahs & Springboks) – 39%
Jaco Kriel (Lions) – 36%
Cornal Hendricks (Cheetahs & Springboks) – 13%
Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks & Springboks) – 7%
Bryan Habana (Toulon & Springboks) – 5%
GOAL-KICKER OF THE YEAR
Demetri Catrakilis (Stormers & WP) – 37%
Marnitz Boshoff (Lions) – 26%
Handré Pollard (Bulls, Junior Boks & Springboks) – 18%
Pat Lambie (Sharks & Springboks) – 14%
Frans Steyn (Sharks) – 5%
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nizaam Carr (Stormers & WP) – 43%
Armand van der Merwe (Pukke & Lions) – 22%
Cornal Hendricks (Cheetahs & Springboks) – 14%
Teboho Mohoje (Shimlas, Cheetahs & Springboks) – 13%
Francois Hougaard (Bulls & Springboks) – 8%
GENTLEMAN OF THE YEAR
Jean de Villiers (Stormers & Springboks) – 44%
Warren Whiteley (Lions) – 26%
Jacques Botes (Sharks) – 16%
Pat Lambie (Sharks & Springboks) – 11%
Tera Mtembu (Sharks) – 3%
TRY OF THE YEAR
Francois Hougaard (Springboks vs All Blacks) – 39%
Cornal Hendricks (Springboks vs All Blacks) – 21%
Juan de Jongh (WP vs Blue Bulls) – 17%
Marnitz Boshoff (Barbarians vs Wallabies) – 15%
Nathan Nel (UCT vs Pukke) – 8%
KICK OF THE YEAR
Pat Lambie (55m match-winning penalty against All Blacks at Ellis Park) – 76%
Marnitz Boshoff (match-winning drop goal for the Lions against the Cheetahs) – 13%
Gerrie Labuschagne (80m goal kick during Free State U19 training) – 6%
Johan Goosen (55m drop goal on Top 14 debut for Racing Métro) – 3%
Curwin Bosch (match-winning conversion against Blue Bulls at Craven Week) – 2%
TEAM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Springboks (beating All Blacks at Ellis Park) – 29%
Thirteen-man Sharks (beating Crusaders in Christchurch) – 25%
Blitzboks (beating New Zealand in Commonwealth Games final) – 22%
Junior Boks (beating hosts New Zealand twice in Junior World Championship) – 14%
UCT (coming from behind to win Varsity Cup final) – 10%
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Duane Vermeulen (against All Blacks at Ellis Park) – 46%
Handré Pollard (against All Blacks at Ellis Park) – 26%
Marnitz Boshoff (Super Rugby debut against Cheetahs) – 12%
Demetri Catrakilis (Currie Cup final against Golden Lions) – 8%
Cheslin Kolbe (Currie Cup league match against Blue Bulls at Newlands) – 8%
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Pat Lambie (55m match-winning penalty against All Blacks at Ellis Park) – 47%
Thirteen-man Sharks (beat Crusaders in Christchurch) – 19%
UCT (score try after hooter to win Varsity Cup final against Pukke) – 19%
Marnitz Boshoff (misses last-minute penalty in Currie Cup final) – 9%
Morné Steyn (fails to find touch with late penalty against Wallabies in Perth) – 6%
Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
