Dyantyi nominated for breakthrough player of the year award

Springbok winger Aphiwe Dyantyi has been nominated, among two other candidates, for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year 2018.

The award, which has been running for four years, has previously gone to All Black’s Nehe Milner Skudder in his 2015 World Cup winning year, England utility forward Maro Itoje and New Zealand’s winger Rieko Ioane.

Dyantyi is nominated alongside Ireland’s Jordan larmour (wing) and All Black’s prop Karl Tu’inukuafe.

Dyantyi, at 24, scored a try on his debut against England in June and has since scored six in 2018, one of which contributed to the Springboks historic win over New Zealand in Wellington. The young winger also finished joint top try scorer of the Rugby Championship (5).

Jamie Heaslip, Felipe Contepomi and Phaidra Knight, along with a media panel, select the shortlist for the award, which stipulates that the player has to have played less than one year of senior international rugby.

The winner is to be announced at the World Rugby Awards on the 25th of November, in Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo.

World Rugby’s chairperson Bill Beaumont went on to say:

“The World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award recognises the most exciting talent to burst onto the international 15s or sevens stage during the year and highlights the ‘ones to watch’.

“There were several outstanding candidates and the process of whittling the selection down to a shortlist was tough for the panel. We have three outstanding candidates, who would be worthy recipients of this prestigious award.”