Burger voted top South African player

Fiery Springbok flank Schalk Burger was named South African Rugby Player of the Year at a ceremony here on Thursday to join an exclusive group of current and former stars. The blond 28-year-old Western Stormers skipper became only the fifth player to win the award more than once, having also been voted number one by the rugby media seven years ago. Former Springbok fly-half Naas Botha, now a television analyst with the Johannesburg-based SuperSport channel, was chosen four times and hooker Uli Schmidt, wing Bryan Habana and scrum-half Fourie du Preez twice each. After missing the Tri-Nations championship because of a thumb injury, Burger was outstanding for defending champions South Africa at the recent World Cup in New Zealand until a narrow quarter-final defeat by Australia. He and fellow loose forward Juan Smith -- who missed the World Cup after failing to recover from a season-long injury -- are considered the frontrunners to succeed retired hooker John Smit as national captain next year. Burger led Western Stormers to top place in the South African Conference of the Super 15 championship before bowing to New Zealand visitors Canterbury Crusaders in the semi-finals. The son of a former Springbok with the same name who is now a successful Cape wine farmer, Burger also experienced semi-final failure in the domestic Currie Cup, with his team losing to eventual winners Golden Lions. Utility backs Patrick Lambie of Coastal Sharks and Francois Hougaard of Northern Bulls, hooker Bismarck du Plessis of Sharks and outgoing Springbok vice-captain and lock Victor Matfield were the other finalists. Glowing tributes were paid to 111-cap Smit and 110-cap Matfield, who retired from Test rugby after the World Cup, the former moving to English Premiership outfit Saracens and the latter set to become a media analyst. Du Plessis, poised to succeed Smit in the number two green and gold shirt after what many commentators believe has been far too long a period as understudy, was voted Players' Player of the Year. The Lions' Currie Cup triumph earned the Team of the Year title plus awards for skipper and flank Joshua Strauss (Currie Cup Player of the Year) and New Zealand-born coach John Mitchell (Coach of the Year). Lambie was named Young Player of the Year and Central Cheetahs scrum-half Sarel Pretorius, who will line-up for Australian side New South Wales Waratahs next season, topped the Super 15 Player of the Year poll. South African award winners Player of the Year: Schalk Burger (Western Stormers) Players' Player of the Year: Bismarck du Plessis (Coastal Sharks) Super 15 Player of the Year: Sarel Pretorius (Central Cheetahs) Currie Cup Player of the Year: Joshua Strauss (Golden Lions) Young Player of the Year: Patrick Lambie (Sharks) Coach of the Year: John Mitchell (Lions) Team of the Year: Lions