Malcolm Marx has been nominated for three SA Rugby Awards, including Player of the Year.
The Springbok and Lions hooker is also in line to win the Young Player and Super Rugby Player of the Year awards.
Marx’s fellow-nominees for SA Rugby Player of the Year are Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Jaco Kriel and Jan Serfontein.
The four players nominated in two categories are Jaco Kriel (SA Rugby and Super Rugby Player of the Year), Warrick Gelant (Young Player and Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year), as well as Curwin Bosch and Damian Willemse, both of whom are nominated in the categories for Young Player and Junior Springbok Player of the Year.
The awards for Coach and Team of the Year are a straight shoot-out between three sides and their coaches – the Springbok Sevens team and Neil Powell, the Lions and Johan Ackermann, and Western Province and John Dobson.
Powell led the Blitzboks to the World Rugby Sevens Series crown in 2016-17 and the team won a total of five tournaments; Ackermann’s Lions finished at the top of the Super Rugby standings and were runners-up in the competition; and Dobson coached Western Province to titles in the Currie Cup Premier Division and the new Provincial Rugby Challenge.
Juarno Augustus, who was already crowned the World Rugby U20 Championship Player of the Tournament in June, is up against his SA U20 teammates Bosch and Willemse for the Junior Springbok Player of the Year award.
And the three Blitzboks who are nominated for the Springbok Sevens Player of the Year award are Rosko Specman – one of the three candidates for the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Award for 2017 – Werner Kok and Chris Dry.
The names of the winners will be announced early next year.
SA Rugby Awards nominees:
SA Rugby Player of the Year
Eben Etzebeth
Siya Kolisi
Jaco Kriel
Malcolm Marx
Jan Serfontein
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Curwin Bosch
Jean-Luc du Preez
Warrick Gelant
Malcolm Marx
Damian Willemse
Team of the Year
Lions (Super Rugby)
Springbok Sevens
Western Province
Coach of the Year
Johan Ackermann (Lions)
John Dobson (Western Province)
Neil Powell (Springbok Sevens)
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
Chris Dry
Werner Kok
Rosko Specman
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
1 Juarno Augustus
2 Curwin Bosch
3 Damian Willemse
Super Rugby Player of the Tournament
Jaco Kriel (Lions)
Malcolm Marx (Lions)
Franco Mostert (Lions)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Nizaam Carr (Western Province)
Rob du Preez (Western Province)
Warrick Gelant (Blue Bulls)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Jaun Kotze (Griffons)
Tertius Maarman (Griffons)
Jeandré Rudolph (Leopards)
Provincial Rugby Challenge Player of the Year
1 Craig Barry (Western Province)
2 Enver Brandt (Griquas)
3 Shaun Reynolds (Golden Lions XV)
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
