News24.com | Rival SA pivots Goosen, Libbok honoured with URC accolades

Manie Libbok. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images)

• Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok has won the Fans' Player of the Season award.
• Bulls pivot Johan Goosen, meanwhile, has scooped the URC's Golden Boot award.
• Goosen was the season's most accurate goal-kicker with a 90% success rate.

Rival South African flyhalves Manie Libbok and Johan Goosen on Thursday scooped noteworthy URC accolades.

Bulls pivot Goosen won the 2022/23 URC Gilbert Golden Boot accolade, while Stormers counterpart Libbok bagged the Fans' Player of the Season award.

Goosen's prize recognises the season's most accurate place-kicker, with all kickers who have attempted a minimum of 30 ranked by their success percentage. The 30-year-old finished with a 90% success rate, having slotted 36 out of 40 kicks at goal.

The 13-capped Springbok saw his 2021/22 season cut short by a knee injury and he missed half of the current campaign due to a shoulder surgery.

Goosen converted 10 of the Bulls' 11 tries in their 78-12 Round 17 victory over Zebre to equal the record number set by Duncan Weir for Glasgow Warriors in 2016.

His Bulls team-mate, Chris Smith, was just behind on 89.09% while Ospreys' Gareth Anscombe, last season's winner, had a 100% success rate from his 10 kicks but he wasn't eligible this time.

WATCH | Benetton centre scoops URC Try of the Season after stunner at Kings Park

Libbok, meanwhile, finished the URC regular season as the leading points-scorer with 167 from 16 games.

He added a further 18 to his tally in the Stormers' 33-21 quarter-final win over the Bulls and an additional 23 in their 43-25 semi-final win over Connacht.

URC organisers added that the Coach of the Season and Players' Player of the Season will be revealed next week in the build-up to the Grand Final between the Stormers and Munster.

URC Awards 2022-23 winners:

Top Try Scorer: Tom Stewart (Ulster)

Tackle Machine: John Hodnett (Munster)

Turnover King: Thomas Young (Cardiff)

Next-Gen Player of the Season: Tom Stewart (Ulster)

Elite XV: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), Daniel du Plessis (Stormers), Simone Gesi (Zebre Parma), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Grant Williams (Sharks), Gavin Coombes (Munster), Scott Penny (Leinster), Vaea Fifita (Scarlets), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), Niall Murray (Connacht), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)

Try of the Season powered by URC.tv: Joaquin Riera (Benetton)

Ironman: Quan Horn (Lions)

Gilbert Golden Boot: Johan Goosen (Bulls)

Fans' Player of the Season: Manie Libbok (Stormers)