Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi Named Rugby Player of the Year, Aphelele Fassi Wins Young Player of the Year

• Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was named as the Rugby Player of the Year at the SA Rugby Awards
• Sharks player Aphelele Fassi also impressed this year and was crowned as the Young Player of the Year
• Rugby fans on social media were full of praise for both Siya Kolisi and Aphelele Fassi after their awards win

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi took home the prestigious Player of the Year award at the annual SA Rugby Awards to cap off an incredible year for the Sharks player.

Fellow Sharks star, Aphelele Fassi, also had a day to remember as he was crowned the Young Player of the Year.

Siya was the only Springbok to play in all 13 tests in 2021, Sport24 reported.

He captained South Africa to a series win over the touring British & Irish Lions in August and helped the Boks finish the year as the number one ranked rugby team in the world.

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The Boks also finished the year as the No 1-ranked side in the world.

He beat Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Eben Etzebeth and Makazole Mapimpi to the top prize at the awards according to The Citizen.

Aphelele Fassi on the other hand only played two tests for the Boks in 2021, his debut year, but impressed everyone with his performances.

Both player's performances also caught the eye of fans on social media who praised the players.

@tsimbayeshumba:

"Congrats @aphelele_fassi huge talent and great potential you got bro. Hope you get more game time in the green and gold jersey!"

@SARugbyLegends:

"Congratulations Aphelele a fantastic achievement. #weekendspecial #SARugbyAwards"

@rugbedia:

"Probably Siya’s best year to be fair, he was outstanding and made huge contributions in every test. Immense leader and truly rose to the top ranks of flankers in the world"

@KaylanGeekie:

"Kolisi fully deserving of award, was my choice off the back of the Lions series win never mind Rest of the season. Boom!"

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Springbok captain and Sharks flanker Siya Kolisi sends message to bullied boy Alfie Pugsley in heartfelt video

World cup-winning Springbok captain was one of many leading rugby players and personalities who rallied to Alfie Pugsley's side after he was bullied on social media, Sports Brief earlier reported.

The bruising Sharks flanker shared a video motivating video to the the 12-year-old Welsh prop, encouraging him to not give doubters the time of day and focus on improving as player and enjoying himself.

As reported by News24, Alfie's father Mark Pugsley recently shared in a tweet that a troll on Facebook had commented on the youngster's appearance, saying that he was "too big" to be playing the sport.