SA Rugby Player of the Year nominations announced

Junior Springbok star Gelant was nominated in three categories - along with Golden Lions flanker Kriel - while Blitzboks speedster Senatla received two nominations, as did Whiteley, to join De Allende and De Jager among the top performers of 2015.

The Golden Lions were rewarded for a great season with a host of different nominations. As well as Kriel and Whiteley, their coach, Johan Ackermann, was also nominated and the union's Absa Currie Cup side was named as one of three contenders for team of the year.

De Allende and De Jager will be up against Kriel, two-time winner Schalk Burger and former Young Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth for the top award, the SA Rugby Player of the Year.

Kriel was also nominated in the categories for Vodacom Super Rugby and Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year.

Young Players of the Year

De Allende and Whiteley are the other two nominees for Vodacom Super Rugby Player of the Year, while De Jager is one of the five Absa Young Players of the Year, along with Gelant, Senatla, Jesse Kriel and Handré Pollard.

Gelant was nominated in the categories for Absa Currie Cup Premier Division and SA Under-20 Player of the Year, where he is up against Junior Springbok enforcers Hanro Liebenberg and Jason Jenkins.

The Golden Lions, who went through the entire Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season unbeaten, are one of five sides nominated by the country's media as Absa Team of the Year, and will face opposition from the Springbok Sevens, Springboks, Stormers, and Western Province.

Ackermann faces competition from Blitzboks coach Neil Powell and Robert du Preez of the Absa Currie Cup First Division winners, the Leopards, and NWU-Pukke to determine who will be the Absa Coach of the Year.

The three nominees in the category of Vodacom Cup Player of the Year are Wiaan Liebenberg (Blue Bulls), JC Roos (Pumas) and Marnus Schoeman (Pumas), while the Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year will be one of Leighton Eksteen (SWD Eagles), Juan Language (Leopards) or Rhyno Smith (Leopards).

South Africa's rugby-loving public will be able to have their say for the SA Rugby Player, Absa Young Player and Absa Team of the Year Awards, which will be conducted online at www.springbokmagazine.com until Friday, 8 January, 2016. All the winners will be announced in the new year.

The nominations (in alphabetical order):

SARU Rugby Player of the Year:

• Schalk Burger
  
• Damian de Allende
  
• Lood de Jager
  
• Eben Etzebeth
  
• Jaco Kriel

Absa Young Player of the Year:

• Lood de Jager
  
• Warrick Gelant
  
• Jesse Kriel
  
• Handré Pollard
  
• Seabelo Senatla

Absa Team of the Year:

• Golden Lions (Absa Currie Cup)
  
• Springboks
  
• Springbok Sevens
  
• Stormers (Vodacom Super Rugby)
  
• Western Province (Absa Currie Cup)

Absa Coach of the Year:

• Johann Ackermann (Golden Lions)
  
• Neil Powell (Springbok Sevens)
  
• Robert du Preez (NWU-Pukke, Leopards)

SA Under-20 Player of the Year:

• Warrick Gelant
  
• Jason Jenkins
  
• Hanro Liebenberg

SA Sevens Player of the Year:

• Werner Kok
  
• Seabelo Senatla
  
• Kwagga Smith

Vodacom Super Rugby Player of Year:

• Damian de Allende (Stormers)
  
• Jaco Kriel (Lions)
  
• Warren Whiteley (Lions)

Vodacom Cup Player of the Year:

• Wiaan Liebenberg (Blue Bulls)
  
• JC Roos (Pumas)
  
• Marnus Schoeman (Pumas)

Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year:

• Warrick Gelant (Blue Bulls)
  
• Jaco Kriel (Golden Lions)
  
• Warren Whiteley (Golden Lions)

Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year:

• Leighton Eksteen (SWD Eagles)
  
• Juan Language (Leopards)
  
• Rhyno Smith (Leopards)

Other awards that will be presented are in the categories of MyPlayers Players' Player of the Year, Supersport Try of the Year, Coca-Cola Craven Week Player of the Year, Marriott Referee Award, Women's Achiever Award and Cell C Community Cup Player of the Tournament.