Malcolm Marx and Nadine Roos were crowned the country’s top players at the SA Rugby Awards after standout seasons.
Cape Town, South Africa (06 March 2026) – South African rugby’s biggest names took centre stage this week as the SA Rugby Awards celebrated a remarkable season for the sport, with Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx and versatile playmaker Nadine Roos emerging as the standout winners.
Both players walked away with the sport’s top individual honours after impressive campaigns in 2025.
For Malcom, the recognition added another chapter to what has already been a career-defining period. The powerful Springbok hooker was recently honoured on the global stage when he received the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year award late last year. Now he has added the SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year title to his growing list of accolades.
The award marks the second time Malcom has been named South Africa’s top men’s player, having first won it in 2017.
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Meanwhile, Nadine continued her dominance in the women’s game. She successfully defended her SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year title, earning the honour for the second season in a row after playing a key role in a breakthrough year for the Springbok Women.
Her impact did not stop there. She also claimed the Springbok Women’s Sevens Player of the Year award, underlining her influence where the national women’s side reached the Rugby World Cup playoffs for the first time.
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The awards also recognised excellence across South Africa’s national teams. Head coach Rassie Erasmus was named Coach of the Year, while the South Africa national rugby union team were crowned Team of the Year after defending the Rugby Championship title and winning 11 of their 13 Tests in 2025.
Other standout winners included Ethan Hooker, who received the SA Rugby Men’s Young Player of the Year award, Shilton van Wyk as Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year, and Haashim Pead, who was named Junior Springbok Player of the Year.
Reflecting on the achievements, Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, praised the players and teams for a year that will be remembered for generations.
“The year 2025 will remain etched in our memories for decades to come… Together, these achievements made 2025 not only a golden year, but the best year in the history of SA Rugby.”
Sources: SA Rugby
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