At a particular World Rugby awards ceremony on Sunday in Monaco, Pieter-Steph du Toit was deservedly named the 15s Males’s Participant of the 12 months, however it couldn’t be missed that Rassie Erasmus in some way missed out on the Coach of the 12 months.
Rassie had led the Springboks to 11 out of 13 wins in 2024 (85% win file), guaranteeing they completed the yr prime of the world rankings, whereas the group additionally received the Rugby Championship for the primary time in a ‘full-round’ competitors.
Nonetheless, ultimately, unheralded France Sevens coach Jérôme Daret was named World Rugby’s Coach of the 12 months for 2024 after main the group’s gold medal-winning effort on the Paris Olympics.
In keeping with World Rugby, the award “recognised his efforts in ending a 19-year await an SVNS title Cup and steering France to Olympic gold in July”.
Daret is the primary sevens coach to obtain this award.
Such a weird choice unsurprisingly led to a response of shock and disbelief from most social media customers, a lot of whom additionally identified how Erasmus had turn into an ‘enemy’ of World Rugby for his outspoken nature and former controversies that noticed him twice obtain a ban from the governing physique.
You’ll be able to see a number of the response to Rassie Erasmus’ World Rugby snub under:
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In the meantime, South Africa’s Pieter-Steph du Toit and England’s Ellie Kildunne had been named World Rugby Males’s and Ladies’s 15s Participant of the 12 months, respectively.
The Springbok flanker wins the distinguished accolade for the second time, having additionally been named World Rugby Males’s 15s Participant of the 12 months in 2019, and joins a really choose group of gamers which have received this Award greater than as soon as in All Blacks Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Beauden Barrett.
Fullback Ellie Kildunne claims the coveted prize for the primary time after taking part in a key position within the Pink Roses’ excellent 2024 marketing campaign that noticed them win all 10 matches performed and safe the Ladies’s Six Nations and WXV 1 titles.
In a yr that noticed rugby sevens’ coming of age on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024 and first SVNS Grand Remaining in Madrid, Australia’s Maddison Levi and France’s Antoine Dupont acquired the World Rugby Sevens Participant of the 12 months awards in partnership with HSBC for his or her performances and achievements on the pitch.
It’s a case of third time fortunate for Levi after her nominations in 2022 and 2023, and recognising her unimaginable yr which noticed the Australian set a brand new file for many tries in a single Olympic Video games (14) after scoring 69 tries on the HSBC SVNS 2024, the second-highest determine in males’s or ladies’s collection historical past.
The prolific finisher turns into the third Australian recipient after Emilee Cherry and Charlotte Caslick.
French star Dupont, who helped France win their first HSBC SVNS titles since 2007 in Los Angeles, Madrid in addition to Olympic gold on dwelling soil in Paris turns into the primary male participant in historical past to be named World Rugby Participant of the 12 months in each sevens and 15s (2021 and 2024).