Nienaber, Etzebeth and Libbok nominated for prestigious World Rugby awards

Three members of the Springbok camp are in line for prestigious World Rugby awards.

Head coach Jacques Nienaber has been nominated for World Rugby Coach of the Year, lock Eben Etzebeth for World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year, and flyhalf Manie Libbok for World Rugby Men's 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year.

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Nienaber, who will leave the Boks after Saturday's World Cup final against New Zealand to coach at Leinster in Ireland, will go up against Ian Foster (New Zealand), Andy Farrell (Ireland) and Simon Raiwalui (Fiji) for the world's most prestigious coaching award.

Etzebeth, who was also selected for the World Rugby Men's 15s Dream Team, has been nominated for the Player of the Year award alongside Bundee Aki (Ireland centre), Antoine Dupont (France scrumhalf and captain) and Ardie Savea (New Zealand loose forward).

Libbok features on an exciting list of nominees, including Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France wing), Mark Telea and Tamaiti Williams (New Zealand wing and prop respectively).

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The winners will be announced at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on Sunday, 29 October - a day after the World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand.

Four women's awards, including the player of the year, will be handed out after the ongoing WXV tournament which ends early next month.