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Sharks dominate SA nominations

Friday 14th November 2008

The Sharks: Leading the award nominations

The Sharks could quite realistically walk off with all the major awards in the prestigious SA Rugby Player of the Year Awards which will take place at a glittering banquet on November 25.

Nominated in all the major categories where they are eligible and having been the form South African team this year, there is every reason to believe that for John Plumtree and his charges, the season's highlights are not yet over.

Having finished as the best-performing South African team in the Super 14 by making the semi-finals and then winning the Currie Cup in October, as well as enjoying the majority share of the monthly Player and Coach of the Month Awards during the Currie Cup, it would be due reward for the efforts of the coaching staff, individuals and team to have the season crowned off at the Awards Ceremony.

The Sharks have four players nominated for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award, four in the Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year race and three in the contest for the Super 14 Player of the Year title, as well as John Plumtree in the Coach of the Year Category.

Leading the way for the Sharks is number eight Ryan Kankowski who has been nominated in no less than four categories: SA Rugby Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year and Super 14 Player of the Year.

The Sharks are also well-represented in two of the three new categories that were introduced by SA Rugby this year with Currie Cup-winning coach Plumtree one of the five nominations for Coach of the Year while in the Team of the Year category both the Sharks' Super 14 and Currie Cup teams were nominated.

Nominations:

SA Rugby Player of the Year: Jean de Villiers (Western Province), Bismarck du Plessis, Adrian Jacobs, Ryan Kankowski, Beast Mtawarira (all Sharks).

Young Player of the Year: Heinrich Brussow, Robert Ebersohn (Free State Cheetahs), Ryan Kankowski, Beast Mtawarira (Sharks), Nick Koster (Western Province).

Team of the Year: Platinum Leopards, Sharks (Currie Cup team), Sharks (Super 14 team), Blue Bulls, Stormers.

Coach of the Year: Eugene Eloff (Golden Lions), Rassie Erasmus (Stormers), Frans Ludeke (Blue Bulls), John Plumtree (Sharks, Currie Cup), Chaka Willemse (Platinum Leopards).

Currie Cup Player of the Year: Heinrich Brussow (Free State Cheetahs), Jean Deysel, Ryan Kankowski, Stefan Terblanche (Sharks) and Wynand Olivier (Blue Bulls).

Super 14 Player of the Year: Andries Bekker, Jean de Villiers, Conrad Jantjes (all Stormers), Ryan Kankowski, Rory Kockott (both Sharks).