Sacha nominated for Breakthrough Player of the Year
DHL Stormers backline star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been nominated for the Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year award by World Rugby.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu made his DHL Stormers debut in 2022 and has broken onto the international scene this year, starring for the world champion Springboks in the Castle Lager Incoming Tests against Ireland and in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship before a knee injury cut his season short.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was nominated along with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England), Jamie Osborne (Ireland) and Wallace Sititi (New Zealand) for the award.
World Rugby announced the shortlists on Monday. The Awards will be hosted in Monaco on Sunday, 24 November, after the conclusion of the November internationals.
Four Springboks received recognition for their impressive and consistent performances during the 2024 season after being nominated for the World Rugby Awards.
Nominated for the prestigious Men’s 15s Player of the Year are South Africa’s most capped player of all time, Eben Etzebeth – who broke fellow lock Victor Matfield’s record of 127 Test matches in September – Cheslin Kolbe (wing) and Pieter-Steph du Toit (utility forward), a former winner of the award. The Bok trio are up against Caelan Doris of Ireland.
SA Rugby president Mr Mark Alexander congratulated all the players for being nominated for the world’s most prestigious awards.
“Having Springboks players feature in two categories is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the team and South Africa, and we are very proud of them,” said Mr Alexander.
“Each one of the Springbok players has shone out this season, and given the quality of the Springbok squad Rassie Erasmus has been building, I’m sure many more players could have been nominated.
“They all deserve this recognition, and we wish them luck for the awards ceremony in Monaco.”
Springbok Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus was equally proud of the nominated Bok players and said: “Congratulations to the players for being nominated and making their mark on the biggest stage in rugby this season. Making their nominations even more remarkable is that most of them have won two Rugby World Cup titles already and that they have continued to deliver the high standards we expect at the Springboks over several years.
“Over and above that, we have used 50 players in our Tests so far this season, and to see them shine among the best players in the world is fantastic. We are extremely proud of them, and we wish them luck when the winners are revealed.”
