MONACO — On Sunday, World Rugby announced its players of the year: South African flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and English fullback Ellie Kildunne.

Du Toit, who also took home the award in 2019, has now become only the fourth male player to achieve this honor more than once, joining the ranks of New Zealand greats Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, and Beauden Barrett.

Despite the Springboks frequently rotating their squad, Du Toit showcased his exceptional skill by participating in ten of their thirteen test matches, playing the full eighty minutes in eight of them. The two-time World Cup champion was instrumental in helping South Africa secure their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 and accomplishing an unbeaten tour in Europe for the first time in eleven years.

Unfortunately, he was unable to play in the final match against Wales in Cardiff due to a shoulder injury.

In the voting, Du Toit prevailed over fellow Springboks Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe, as well as Ireland’s captain Caelan Doris.

Kildunne’s recognition capped off a remarkable year for her, during which she was also honored as the best player in the Women’s Six Nations.

She enjoyed an undefeated season with the England team, achieving a Grand Slam in the Six Nations, retaining the WXV1 title, and notching up fourteen tries in ten tests. Additionally, she participated in the Paris Olympics sevens with Team GB.

Her accolades include competition against teammates such as No. 8 Alex Matthews, France scrumhalf Pauline Bourdon Sansus, and Canadian flyhalf Alex Tessier in the nomination process.

Kildunne became the fourth player from England to win this award in the last five years.

In another highlight of the evening, Erin King was recognized as the women’s breakthrough player of the year, making her the first Irishwoman to receive an individual award.

King, who also took part in the Olympics, made her 15s debut only in September during which she significantly contributed to Ireland’s second-place finish in the WXV1 following a historic victory over world champions New Zealand.

In the men’s category, All Blacks flanker Wallace Sititi was named the breakthrough player. Son of former Samoa captain Semo Sititi, he made his test debut off the bench against Fiji in July and left a significant mark during his first start against South Africa in Cape Town on his 22nd birthday.

Following that performance, Sititi became a staple in the team, starting all seven of the remaining tests and being the only All Black to start all five matches in their tour of Japan and Europe.

The coach of the year award went to Jerome Daret for leading the French men’s sevens team to a historic first Olympic gold medal and their inaugural world series title. Previously, the French men, under the influence of player Antoine Dupont, had not achieved any medals in the Olympics and did not even qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games, finishing fourth at best in world series history.