Overview
- World Rugby confirmed Malcolm Marx as Men’s 15s Player of the Year for 2025, with the award handed to him in the Boks’ changing room by Victor Matfield minutes after the 24-13 win in Dublin.
- Marx became the fourth South African to claim the honour and the first front-rower to win since 2001, marking consecutive Player of the Year awards for the Springboks.
- Six South Africans were named to the Men’s 15s Dream Team—Marx, Ox Nché, Thomas du Toit, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cheslin Kolbe—after a season of 11 wins in 13 Tests.
- SA Rugby president Mark Alexander hailed Marx’s work ethic and said the individual and Dream Team recognitions reflect the squad’s depth and culture under Rassie Erasmus.
- Around a dozen leading Boks, including Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Handré Pollard, Manie Libbok and Cheslin Kolbe, have returned to their clubs, with scrum coach Daan Human downplaying disruption before the out-of-window Wales match in Cardiff.