Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am, lock Eben Etzebeth and flanker and captain Siya Kolisi have been nominated for the coveted South African rugby player of the year award for 2022 for a second year running.

They will be up against emerging winger Kurt-Lee Arendse and veteran tighthead prop Frans Malherbe after the quintet earned the most votes in the nomination process.

SA Rugby on Wednesday announced the nominees in nine categories with the winners to be revealed next year with the annual OUTsurance referee of the year and provincial women’s player of the year awards.

Kolisi won the award for a stellar 2021 season with Etzebeth, who became the seventh player to earn his 100th Springbok Test cap this year, and Am, whose influence was crucial before his season-ending injury in August.

Former Blitzbok star Arendse was sublime in his debut season for the Boks and scored seven tries in as many Tests. The reliable Malherbe, who played in his 50th Test this year, was a rock in the pack and quietly went about his job of putting the Boks on the front foot from first phase.

For the first time, media and SA Rugby stakeholders also voted for the Springbok women’s player of the year.

The five nominees all played in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October: last year’s winner Lusanda Dumke, 2019 winner Aseza Hele, Zintle Mpupha, Aphiwe Ngwevu and Nadine Roos.

The next generation of national players were nominated in the category for young player of the year, which only takes into consideration under-23s. They are Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse, Canan Moodie, Evan Roos and Henco van Wyk.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was nominated in the category for junior Springbok player of the year after he led the South African under-20s to an unbeaten run in the Six Nations under-20 Summer Series in Italy. Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ruan Venter were the other nominees.

The three Blitzboks nominated for the Springbok Sevens player of the year award are Selvyn Davids, Zain Davids and JC Pretorius.

After a good season in which they won eight Tests out of 13 and had close defeats to the top two teams in the world, the Springboks were among three sides nominated for team of the year.

The Stormers, winners of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC), and Currie Cup champions the Pumas, are the two other nominated sides.

These three teams’ coaches — John Dobson (Stormers), Jacques Nienaber (Springboks) and Jimmy Stonehouse (Pumas) — also got the most votes in the category for coach of the year.

The Pumas’ domestic triumph was reflected in the nominations for Currie Cup Premier Division player of the year, with three men from Mpumalanga up against each other for the award — Sebastiaan de Klerk, Willie Engelbrecht and Devon Williams.

In the final category, Jaywinn Juries and Duan Pretorius of eventual champions the Griffons are up against Jaiden Baron of the Boland Kavaliers for the Currie Cup First Division player of the year award.

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander congratulated the nominees.

“This list of nominees honour those players who performed brilliantly week in and week out and I congratulate all of them on their achievements in 2022.

“All our national teams enjoyed some form of success and again underlined our status as one of the top rugby nations in the world. With that comes big responsibility, though, and our men and women in green and gold did us proud this year,” he said.

Like last season, when Evan Roos of the DHL Stormers walked away with the honours, the award for the player of the URC will be made at the conclusion of the competition next year.

The nominees are (in alphabetical order):

South African Rugby Player of the Year: Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe

Springbok Women’s Player of the Year: Lusanda Dumke, Aseza Hele, Zintle Mpupha, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Nadine Roos

South African Rugby Young Player of the Year: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Junior Springboks/South Africa ‘A’/Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks/Sharks); Canan Moodie (Springboks/Bulls), Evan Roos (Springboks/Stormers), Henco van Wyk (South Africa ‘A’/Lions)

Springbok Sevens Player of the Year: Selvyn Davids, Zain Davids, JC Pretorius

Junior Springbok Player of the Year: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Ruan Venter

Team of the Year: Pumas, Stormers, Springboks

 Coach of the Year: John Dobson (Stormers), Jacques Nienaber (Springboks), Jimmy Stonehouse (Pumas)

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year: Sebastiaan de Klerk (Pumas), Willie Engelbrecht (Pumas), Devon Williams (Pumas)

Carling Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year: Jaiden Baron (Boland Kavaliers), Jaywinn Juries (Griffons), Duan Pretorius (Griffons)