Despite claiming the William Webb Ellis Trophy a matter of hours earlier, the accolades were few and far between for the Springboks at the World Rugby Awards on Sunday.
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This comes after Jacques Nienaber, Eben Etzebeth and Manie Libbok left the event empty-handed on Sunday evening in Paris, France.
The trio had received nominations for the Coach of the Year (Nienaber), Player of the Year (Etzebeth), and Breakthrough Player of the Year (Libbok) awards, only to see their international counterparts walk away with the spoils.
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Ardie Savea of New Zealand was named Player of the Year, Andy Farrell of Ireland was named Coach of the Year, and Mark Tele’a of the All Blacks was named Breakthrough Player of the Year.
However, Etzebeth was acknowledged for his outstanding performances throughout the year when he was included in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year.
Although Nienaber and his team did not receive a World Rugby Award on Sunday, former Bok captain John Smit did receive a special honour: the International Rugby Players Special Merit Award, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport.
The Springboks are set to return home, boarding a flight on Monday and landing at OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa at 10:55am on Tuesday.
They will then embark on a week-long celebratory parade showcasing the Webb Ellis trophy across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and the Eastern Cape.
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World Rugby Award winners:
- World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year – Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
- World Rugby Coach of the Year – Andy Farrell (Ireland)
- World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year – Mark Tele’a (New Zealand)
- International Rugby Players Men’s Try of the Year – Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland, v England on 4 February)
- World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year – Tyla Nathan-Wong (New Zealand)
- World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year – Rodrigo Isgro (Argentina)
- Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service – George Nijaradze (Georgia)
- International Rugby Players Special Merit Award – John Smit (South Africa)
- Rugby for All Award – SOS Kit Aid
- World Rugby Referee Award – David McHugh
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Picture: @Springboks / X