The Springbok flanker wins the prestigious accolade for the second time, having also been named World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year in 2019, and joins a very select group of players that have won this Award more than once in All Blacks Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Beauden Barrett.
Full-back Ellie Kildunne claims the coveted prize for the first time after playing a key role in the Red Roses’ perfect 2024 campaign that saw them win all 10 matches played and secure the Women’s Six Nations and WXV 1 titles.
In a year that saw rugby sevens’ coming of age at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and first SVNS Grand Final in Madrid, Australia’s Maddison Levi and France’s Antoine Dupont received the World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year awards in partnership with HSBC for their performances and achievements on the pitch.
It is a case of third time lucky for Levi after her nominations in 2022 and 2023, and recognising her incredible year which saw the Australian set a new record for most tries in a single Olympic Games (14) after scoring 69 tries on the HSBC SVNS 2024, the second-highest figure in men’s or women’s series history. The prolific finisher becomes the third Australian recipient after Emilee Cherry and Charlotte Caslick.
French star Dupont, who helped France win their first HSBC SVNS titles since 2007 in Los Angeles, Madrid as well as Olympic gold on home soil in Paris becomes the first male player in history to be named World Rugby Player of the Year in both sevens and 15s (2021 and 2024).
Dupont’s sevens head coach Jérôme Daret was named World Rugby Coach of the Year, recognising his efforts in ending a 19-year wait for an SVNS title Cup and steering France to Olympic gold in July. Daret is the first sevens coach to receive this award.
During the evening, five legends of the game were inducted in the World Rugby Hall of Fame in Emilee Cherry (Australia), DJ Forbes (New Zealand), Donna Kennedy (Scotland), Chris Laidlaw (New Zealand) and Sergio Parisse (Italy), while Vickii Cornborough (England) received the International Rugby Players Special Merit Award for her impact, both on and off the field of play, shaping among her many achievements the support available to women’s players in England through her role on the Rugby Players’ Association board.
