South African hooker Malcolm Marx was named World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year on Saturday, becoming the fourth Springbok to win the award — and doing so seven years after his first nomination.
Marx took the award ahead of Springbok teammates Pieter-Steph du Toit, a two-time winner, and Ox Nché, as well as French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Nché was hoping to become the first prop to win the prize and had a strong case.
Marx joined Du Toit (2019 & 2024), Bryan Habana (2007) and Schalk Burger (2004) as South African recipients of the award.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in, to be honest. To be fair, none of this is achieved without the team environment we have, without the management, without the players,” Marx told a news conference after a playerof the match display against Ireland on Saturday.
“We are a tight-knit group, and things like this happen when you have a group like ours. So … this isn’t just an individual award — it’s more of a team award, because the support and the structures we have for guys to express themselves are unbelievable.”
New Zealand lock Fabian Holland was named World Rugby 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year, while John Mitchell was Coach of the Year after leading England to Women’s Rugby World Cup success, though that award was announced in September.
Canada’s Sophie de Goede took the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year, and the breakthrough player went to Braxton Sorensen-McGee of New Zealand.
Reuters
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