A shoe-in for the award?

The following from SARU: Players from the Vodacom Super 14 finalist Bulls and Stormers have unsurprisingly monopolised the nominations in the race for the title of Vodacom Super 14 Player of the Year award, the South African Rugby Union announced on Tuesday.

The 2009 winner, Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn, has again been nominated along with team-mates Fourie du Preez and Gerhard van den Heever. They are joined by the Vodacom Stormers’ lock Andries Bekker and centre Jaque Fourie in the five nominations.

The five polled the most votes among rugby media from a total of 26 players that were nominated.

Steyn set a record of 263 points in a Vodacom Super Rugby season as the Vodacom Bulls won the title for the third time in four seasons.  Van den Heever scored eight tries in the Bulls’ march to the title, while Du Preez, the 2009 SA Rugby Player of the Year, was outstanding once again.

The Vodacom Stormers’ first appearance in a final was reflected in several nominations for their players with lock Andries Bekker and centre Jaque Fourie, who scored seven tries in his debut season with the franchise, garnering enough media votes to be in the running for the award.

Meanwhile the Vodacom Blue Bulls’ last-gasp win in the Vodacom Cup was also reflected in nominations for the competition’s Player of the Year award. Team captain Gerrit-Jan van Velze, fullback Tiger Mangweni and flyhalf Francois Brummer, who kicked the after-the-hooter drop goal against the luckless Vodacom Cheetahs to clinch the R1m first prize, were all among the nominees.

Free State flyhalf Louis Strydom and Sharks No 10 Monty Dumond, who edged the former as the competition’s top scorer, completed the nominations.

The winners of the awards, as well as the rest of the SA Rugby Player of the Year awards, will be announced at the Springbok Banquet on November 2.