Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth was on named as one of the five nominees for the prestigious IRB World Player of the Year Award for 2013.
The 22-year-old Etzebeth is the youngest of the five nominees – the other four are Kieran Read and Ben Smith (both New Zealand), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales and the British & Irish Lions) and Sergio Parisse (Italy).
“This is a magnificent achievement for one of the best young players we’ve seen in the Springbok jersey in the last decade,” said Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Union (SARU).
Etzebeth injured his ankle in the Boks test against France on Saturday and will probably not play for the Barbarians against Fiji.
The two Boks of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, Coenie Oosthuizen and Willie le Roux, are playing for the Barbarians.
The other South Africans in die side are: Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira, Schalk Burger, Duane Vermeulen, Willie le Roux, Jean de Villiers end Pat Lambie – SARU
