Top Marx for Malcom after earning three nominations

04 December 2017 - 12:39 By Craig Ray
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Malcolm Marx during the South African national mens rugby team training session at Saut du Laup on November 13, 2017 in Paris, France.
Malcolm Marx during the South African national mens rugby team training session at Saut du Laup on November 13, 2017 in Paris, France.
Image: Gallo Images

Hooker Malcolm Marx’s form at Test level this year has been one of the few highlights for the Springboks and he was duly recognised with a nomination for SA Rugby Player of the Year on Monday.

Marx‚ 23‚ is nominated in three categories‚ including Young Player of the Year and Super Rugby Player of the Year.

The Sunday Times in Britain named Marx as the only Bok in its team of the recent autumn international.

In the main category Marx will go up against Bok skipper Eben Etzebeth‚ Stormers captain and Bok flank Siya Kolisi‚ fellow Lions teammate Jaco Kriel and centre Jan Serfontein.

Four players are also nominated in two other categories - Kriel (SA Rugby and Super Rugby Player of the Year)‚ Warrick Gelant (Young Player and Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year)‚ and Curwin Bosch and Damian Willemse‚ both of whom are nominated in the categories for Young Player and Junior Springbok Player of the Year.

“Four of these five players are aged 23 and younger‚ which bodes very well for the future of the game here in South Africa‚” said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander.

“I would like to congratulate Malcolm‚ Jaco‚ Warrick‚ Curwin and Damian on their multiple nominations‚ as well as all the other players‚ coaches and teams who were recognised for their performances in 2017.”

The awards for Coach and Team of the Year are a straight shoot-out between three sides and their coaches – the Springbok Sevens team and Neil Powell‚ the Lions and Johan Ackermann‚ and Western Province and John Dobson. Powell led the Blitzboks to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series crown in 2016/17 and the team won a total of five tournaments.

Ackermann’s Lions finished at the top of the Super Rugby standings and were runners-up in the competition.

Dobson coached Western Province to titles in the Currie Cup and the new SuperSport Rugby Challenge. Juarno Augustus‚ who was already crowned the World Rugby U20 Championship Player of the Tournament in June‚ is up against his SA U20 teammates Bosch and Willemse for the Junior Springbok Player of the Year award. And the three Blitzboks who are nominated for the Springbok Sevens Player of the Year award are Rosko Specman – one of the three candidates for the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Award for 2017 – Werner Kok and team captain‚ Philip Snyman.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order): SA Rugby Player of the Year

1 Eben Etzebeth

2 Siya Kolisi

3 Jaco Kriel

4 Malcolm Marx

5 Jan Serfontein SA Rugby Young Player of the Year

1 Curwin Bosch

2 Jean-Luc du Preez

3 Warrick Gelant

4 Malcolm Marx

5 Damian Willemse Team of the Year

1 Emirates Lions (Vodacom Super Rugby runners up)

2 Springbok Sevens (HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series winners)

3 DHL Western Province (Currie Cup Premier Division and Supersport Rugby Challenge winners) Coach of the Year

1 Johan Ackermann (Emirates Lions)

2 John Dobson (DHL Western Province)

3 Neil Powell (Springbok Sevens) Springbok Sevens Player of the Year

1 Chris Dry

2 Werner Kok

3 Rosko Specman Junior Springbok Player of the Year

1 Juarno Augustus

2 Curwin Bosch

3 Damian Willemse Super Rugby Player of the Tournament

1 Jaco Kriel (Emirates Lions)

2 Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions)

3 Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions) Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year

1 Nizaam Carr (DHL Western Province)

2 Robert du Preez (DHL Western Province)

3 Warrick Gelant (Vodacom Blue Bulls) Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year

1 Jaun Kotze (Down Touch Griffons)

2 Tertius Maarman (Down Touch Griffons)

3 Jeandré Rudolph (Leopards) SuperSport Rugby Challenge Player of the Year

1 Craig Barry (DHL Western Province)

2 Enver Brandt (Tafel Lager Griquas)

3 Shaun Reynolds (Xerox Golden Lions XV)

 

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