Ruan Combrinck, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Jaco Kriel and Warren Whiteley have been named as the nominees for SA Rugby Player of the Year.

All five players enjoyed outstanding Super Rugby seasons, while also playing important roles for the Boks, with Combrinck and Kriel making their Test debuts.

In the Team of the Year category, the Lions' Super Rugby side has been nominated alongside the Springbok Sevens and Free State Cheetahs.

The Lions' Johan Ackermann has been nominated as Coach of the Year for a fourth consecutive year, but will face competition from Brent Janse van Rensburg (Boland) and Neil Powell (Springbok Sevens).

Malcolm Marx and Rohan Janse van Rensburg are up against Curwin Bosch, RG Snyman and Seabelo Senatla in the category for Young Player of the Year, while the Super Rugby Player of the Tournament will be Combrinck, Whiteley or Jantjies.

The list of nominees in the various categories was determined after an extensive voting process, which included members of the media, sponsors, provinces and SA Rugby’s rugby department. The awards ceremony will be held on 24 October in Johannesburg.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):