Cape Town - The third annual BrightRock Players Choice Awards, brought to you by BrightRock and MyPlayers, will be held at The Park at Hyde Park, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.

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The awards - held by the players, for the players - are the only of their kind in South Africa and sees professional rugby players from SA's 14 unions vote for their top players across six awards categories. The seventh is the BrightRock Fans' Choice category where SA rugby fans have the chance to vote for their favourite players of 2019.

The award ceremony will see professional South African rugby players honour and acknowledge their peers for playing the bounce over the past season. As Suzanne Stevens, Executive Director at BrightRock, explains, the awards are a celebration of the players' mastery, attitude and skill in the face of rugby's unpredictability.

"Playing the Bounce is all about embracing the ever-changing nature of rugby, and of life," said Stevens.

"That's why BrightRock is so excited to be involved with the awards for a third year. The concept of being empowered to navigate - and celebrate - change is central to our needs-matched life insurance, which is uniquely designed to change with clients as their needs change over their lifetime."

Sought-after awards

"The awards ceremony promises to be a memorable evening, filled with celebrations and entertainment. Some of the players will get an opportunity to showcase their hidden talents while others will be rubbing shoulders with their fans who backed them during the year," said Eugene Henning, Chief Executive Officer of MyPlayers, the South African rugby players' organisation.

In 2018, the most sought-after Players' Player of the Year award was won by Malcom Marx, while Springbok captain Siya Kolisi scooped this honour, in 2017. Other categories include Defender of the Year, Forward of the year, Backline player of the Year, Best off the bench and the Award for the most improved player.

"With the great performances shown by our players on the rugby field we are excited to see who will walk away with the different titles on the evening and who will receive recognition by the other players for their outstanding performances during the year," added Henning.

BrightRock Players Choice Award nomination list:

Defender of the Year

1. Pieter-Steph du Toit

2. Franco Mostert

3. Lukhanyo Am

4. Damian de Allende

Forward Player of the Year

1. Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira

2. Trevor Nyakane

3. RG Snyman

4. Pieter-Steph du Toit

Backline Player of the Year

1. George Whitehead

2. Rabz Maxwane

3. Cheslin Kolbe

4. Herschel Jantjies

Best off the Bench

1. Steven Kitshoff

2. Herschel Jantjies

3. Bongani Mbonambi

4. Selvyn Davids

The Award (For the most-improved player over the past year - a true change agent on his way up)

1. Joseph Dweba

2. Tyrone Green

3. Herschel Jantjies

4. Kurt-Lee Arendse

The Players' Player of the Year (the flagship award of the evening for the player selected as the best player of the year, as chosen by his peers)

1. Pieter-Steph du Toit

2. Duane Vermeulen

3. Schalk Brits

4. Cheslin Kolbe

BrightRock Fan's Choice Award (voting has closed)

Scarra Ntubeni - Siv Ngesi - Newborns Trust

Chris Dry - Ryan O'Connor - Zanokhanyo Children's Safety House

Rosko Specman - Emo Adams - Be The Difference Foundation

Rabz Maxwane - Kaunda Ntunja - King William's Town Youth Care Centre