DHL Stormer Roos the Vodacom URC fan favourite
Evan Roos has added a third prize of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship Awards to his personal haul after being voted Vodacom Fans’ Player of the Season.
The DHL Stormers No.8 has already been named Next-Gen Player of the Season, as well as earning a place in the Dream Team.
This latest accolade – determined by a public vote – is testament to the 22-year-old’s outstanding performances over the course of the campaign, which have evidently caught the eye of Vodacom URC fans around the world.
Vodacom Executive Head of Sponsorships Michelle van Eyden said: “The United Rugby Championship Vodacom Fan’s Player of the Season Award is all about being united in not only a love for the game, but also in a genuine respect and appreciation for the players and their individual skills and talents.
“The fans live and breathe the game of rugby on a daily basis, and their recognition of a player’s outstanding performance is an important element of our drive to ensure that this competition is inclusive of all in the game of rugby and gives everybody who loves the game a voice to share their passion.”
Roos has had a stand-out campaign for the Cape Town outfit, proving himself a destructive ball carrier with more successful carries (126) and defenders beaten (49) than any other player in the competition over the 18 rounds of the regular season.
He has carried that form into the play-offs, putting on a Vodacom Man of the Match display as the DHL Stormers overcame Edinburgh Rugby in the Final Eight and scoring a try against Ulster in the Final Four.
Roos’ Vodacom URC performances look set to earn him an imminent Test debut after he was named in the Springboks squad for next month’s home series against Wales.
His victory in this category continues a strong showing from the DHL Stormers in the URC Awards, with Leolin Zas taking home the Top Try Scorer prize and five players from the franchise included in the Dream Team.
The remaining two awards – Loch Lomond Coach of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season – will be announced later this week.
URC Awards Winner List 2021-22
Tackle Machine: Alan O’Connor (Ulster)
Turnover King: Jac Morgan (Ospreys)
Gilbert Golden Boot: Gareth Anscombe (Ospreys)
Top Try Scorer: Leolin Zas (DHL Stormers)
Ironman: Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls)
Next-Gen Player of the Season: Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
Vodacom Fans’ Player of the Season: Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
Dream Team: Warrick Gelant (DHL Stormers), Seabelo Senatla (DHL Stormers), James Hume (Ulster), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Leolin Zas (DHL Stormers), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Craig Casey (Munster); Ox Nche (Cell C Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls), Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Marcell Coetzee (Vodacom Bulls), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
