The Springbok trio of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Herschel Jantjies and Dillyn Leyds walked away with the top accolades at the WPRFU awards evening held at Kelvin Grove on Tuesday. World Rugby Player of the Year Du Toit was named DHL Forward of the Year, while scrumhalf Jantjies claimed the DHL Back of the Year and the coveted DHL Players' Player of the Year, with Leyds named Most Valuable Player. All three players featured prominently for the DHL Stormers this year, with Du Toit going on to be recognised as the best player in the world and Jantjies nominated as World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, having made a huge impression in his first season after making both his DHL Stormers and Springbok debut in 2019. Lock Salmaan Moerat was DHL WP Most Promising Forward and wing Edwill van der Merwe the DHL Most Promising Back, while flank Nokubonga Siko was named Women's Player of the Year for her role in the DHL WP Women's third straight national title. Club rugby Player of the year was Ruan Laubscher from Durbanville-Bellville, Club Rugby Sevens Player of the Year was Rosco Syster from Tygerberg and Schools Player of the Year was Dylan de Leeuw. Club Referee of the Year was Petrus van der Merwe and Referee of the Year Aimee Barrett-Theron. DHL WP Most Promising U19 Player was Ryan van Ster, with DHL WP Best Back U19 Mnomnbo Zwelendaba and DHL WP Most Promising Forward De Wet Marais. DHL WP Most Promising U21 Player was Gift Dlamini, with DHL WP Most Promising Back U21 David Kriel and DHL WP Most Promising Forward Schalk Erasmus. Robbie Fleck received a special award in recognition of his exceptional service to WP Rugby as both a player and a coach. WPRFU President Zelt Marais said that it was fantastic to recognise the stars of the rugby community after an eventful year. "There are so many people who have contributed to making 2019 a memorable year and it was wonderful to pay tribute to them. "We look forward to rugby at all levels growing stronger next year as we seek to reach new heights," he said. WPRFU awards 2019: Most Valuable Player: Dillyn Leyds DHL Players' Player: Herschel Jantjies DHL Best Forward: Pieter-Steph du Toit DHL Best Back: Herschel Jantjies DHL WP Most Promising Forward: Salmaan Moerat DHL WP Most Promising Back: Edwill van der Merwe Women's Player of the Year: Nokubonga Siko Club Rugby Player of the Year: Ruan Laubscher (Durbanville-Bellville) Club Rugby Sevens Player of the Year: Rosco Syster: Tygerberg Schools Player of the Year: Dylan de Leeuw Referee of the Year: Aimee Barrett-Theron Club referee of the Year: Petrus van der Merwe DHL WP U19 Best Forward: De Wet Marais DHL WP U19 Best Back: Mnomnbo Zwelendaba DHL WP U19 Most Promising Player: Ryan van Ster DHL WP U21 Best Forward: Schalk Erasmus DHL WP U21 Best Back: David Kriel DHL WP U21 Most Promising Player: Gift Dlamini * Not only were WP Rugby’s professional players awarded individual trophies based on their performances throughout the 2019 season, but the Western Province Rugby Football Union also recognised all club, junior, female and referees’ performances within the union this past year. 2019 WPRFU Club awards: Super League A: Durbanville-Bellville Super League B: Kuilsriver Super League C: Langa City League (First round): Violets Northern League (First round): Blakes Southern League (First round): Northerns Paarl League Winner: Lower Paarl Simonsberg League Winner: Gordon Leopards Sunday League: Khaya Rose Women’s League: Busy Bees Women Paarl region (Knock-out): Lower Paarl Super League A Under-20: Stellenbosch Super League B Under-20: Bellville Super League C Under-20: Hands and Hearts
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