Embrose Papier and Jeandré Rudolph Lead Bulls Awards Winners
- The Bulls have rewarded standout performers from a season that saw their senior side compete strongly across South Africa and Europe
- Embrose Papier collected two major honours after an impressive campaign, while Jeandré Rudolph also enjoyed a memorable awards night
- Springbok connections feature prominently among the recognised players, with several established names joined by emerging Bulls talent
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Embrose Papier finished a standout 2025/26 campaign with more silverware after being recognised twice at the Bulls’ annual awards at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.
The Springbok scrumhalf was named both Players’ Player of the Year and Senior MVP/Player of the Year. His recognition follows his naming South African URC Player of the Season, underscoring how influential his campaign was.
Rugby365 reports that Jeandré Rudolph was another major winner, taking Currie Cup Player of the Year and Champions Cup Forward of the Year. The Bull congratulaed Rudolph in the X post below:
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JJ Theron also collected two awards after being named Forward of the Year at both U21 and U23 level.
Springbok names feature among Bulls honours
The awards also recognised several players with international experience. Springbok flank Marco van Staden received the Team Man of the Year award, while Johan Grobbelaar was recognised as the Bulls’ URC Forward of the Year.
Sebastian de Klerk was named Champions Cup Back of the Year, while Harold Vorster received the corresponding URC honour. Cheswill Jooste was also recognised as the Bulls’ Newcomer of the Year.
Full list of Bulls awards winners
Bulls U19s 2025
- Forward of the Year: Heinrich Theron
- Back of the Year: Pieter van der Merwe
- Player of the Year: Kebotile Maake
Bulls U21s 2025
- Forward of the Year: JJ Theron
- Back of the Year: Demitre Erasmus
- Player of the Year: Cephas van Biljon
Bulls U23 2026
- Forward of the Year: JJ Theron
- Back of the Year: Neil Le Roux
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Temba Bavuma, Akani Simbine and Malcolm Marx lead South African sport Awards 2026 shortlist
Currie Cup 2025
- Forward of the Year: Junior Pokomela
- Back of the Year: Zak Burger
- Player of the Year: Jeandré Rudolph
Bulls Daisies 2026
- Try of the Year: Vainah Ubisi
- Pulse of the Team: Camelitha Malone
- Back of the Year: Thobile Msizazwe
- Forward of the Year: Vainah Ubisi
- Player of the Year: Chuma Qawe
- Players’ Player of the Year: Camelitha Malone
- MVP: Yonela Ngxingolo
Champions Cup 2025/26
- Back of the Year: Sebastian de Klerk
- Forward of the Year: Jeandré Rudolph
United Rugby Championship 2025/26
- Back of the Year: Harold Vorster
- Forward of the Year: Johan Grobbelaar
Other senior awards
- Newcomer of the Year: Cheswill Jooste
- Team Man of the Year: Marco van Staden
The awards covered the Bulls’ senior, women’s and junior structures, reflecting the breadth of the union’s rugby programme.
Bulls injury crisis tested squad depth
Briefly News previously reported that the Bulls were dealing with a growing injury crisis during their 2026 Currie Cup campaign, with several experienced players unavailable for the remainder of the season.
The setbacks placed greater pressure on the squad, with coach Phiwe Nomlomo acknowledging that the union’s depth was being tested while players were also being managed across multiple teams.
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Source: Briefly News
