Maties Rugby Club has honoured players for outstanding achievements at its annual awards ceremony in Stellenbosch.
Addressing the gathering, Head of Maties Rugby, Drikus Hancke said: “As we hand out awards, remember: these trophies represent more than a season’s effort. They represent the legacy we have inherited, the hard work of the present, and the vision we carry into the future.
“This year we celebrated 150 years of Maties Rugby. We are the second-oldest rugby club in the country, and our story is filled not only with legends who became household names, but also with the many unsung heroes who gave their all to build something greater than themselves.
“To our student-athletes: you are not just wearing maroon; you are carrying a 150-year legacy. But we are all not just inheritors of this legacy. We are its current stewards. What we do now — how we lead, how we live our values — will determine what Maties Rugby is known for in the next 150 years,” he said.
Hancke praised sponsors, alumni, and Stellenbosch University partners, saying: “You are the reason we can dream bigger. And to our staff – thank you for making it all possible.”
Maties Rugby is known for tradition, for producing champions, for balancing academics and sport, and for creating opportunities that reach far beyond Stellenbosch. “And it is our responsibility to ensure that remains true for the next 150 years,” said Hancke.
The 2025 Rugby Club award recipients are:
#WePlayAsOne Campus Rugby Awards
#WePlayAsOne 10s Tournament Winners – Elsenburg
#WePlayAsOne U20 Tournament Winners – Wilgenhof/Oude Molen
#WePlayAsOne 3rd League Winners – Huis Marais
#WePlayAsOne 2nd League Winners – Elsenburg
#WePlayAsOne Student Representative of the Year – Fagan Solomons
#WePlayAsOne Coach of the Year – Henry Tromp
#WePlayAsOne 1st League Winners – Helshoogte
SAB Sevens & Club Individual Awards
SAB Women’s Sevens Player of the Year – Shanidine Bezuidenhout
SAB Men’s Sevens Player of the Year – Louw du Toit
SAB Cravens Player of the Year – Ryan Mitchell
SAB Victorians Player of the Year – Wyatt Strydom
Snapp Bags Junior Individual Awards
Snapp Bags Junior Forward of the Year – Gcina Puzi
Snapp Bags Junior Back of the Year – Rynhardt van der Linden
Snapp Bags Young Guns Player of the Competition – Luke Swartz
Snapp Bags Junior Player of the Year – Dylan Miller
Hi-Tec Women’s Individual Awards
Hi-Tec Women’s Forward of the Year – Sesethu Ntamnani
Hi-Tec Women’s Back of the Year – Liza Slabbert
Hi-Tec Varsity Cup Player of the Competition – Zelmari Pretorius
Hi-Tec Women’s Player of the Year – Liza Slabbert
Mitchum Senior Individual Awards
Mitchum Senior Forward of the Year – Fortune Mpofu
Mitchum Senior Back of the year – Christiaan van Heerden-Smith
Mitchum Varsity Cup Player of the Competition – Ezekiel Ngobeni
Mitchum Senior Player of the Year – Grant de Jager
Special Awards, Coach of the year and Club Member Awards
50 1st XV Caps
Aydon Topley
Christiaan van Heerden-Smith
Janlu Basson
Coach of the year – Aneesah Adams
Players’ Player of the Year
Snapp Bags Junior Players’ Player of the Year – Wihan Kotze
Hi-Tec Women’s Players’ Player of the Year – Liza Slabbert
Mitchum Senior Players’ Player of the Year – Ezekiel Ngobeni
Club Member of the Year
Mitchum Junior Club Member of the Year – Pierre van Selm
Mitchum Women’s Club Member of the Year – Erin Bond
Mitchum Senior Club Member of the Year – Kyle Jackson
-
- Senior Players’ Player of the Year: Prof Nicola Smit, Acting COO of SU with recipient, Ezekiel Ngobeni.
-
- Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Prof Nicola Smit, Acting COO of SU with recipient, Liza Slabbert.