Leyds crowned World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in back-to-back title season for Blitzboks

Tristan Leyds was named World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year at Bordeaux’s Stade Atlantique, becoming the first South African to claim the award since Seabelo Senatla in 2016. The 29-year-old playmaker received the honour after guiding the Blitzboks to back-to-back SVNS World Championship titles, edging out Fiji’s Vuiviwa Naduvalo and Australia’s Henry Hutchison for the prize.

Leyds dropped his head toward the turf in disbelief as commentator Rikki Swannell announced his name, before being swarmed by teammates led by Ricardo Duartte. The moment capped a remarkable turnaround for South Africa, who finished seventh in the 2023/24 season before winning consecutive world titles.

The award has a proud Blitzboks lineage — Cecile Afrika won it in 2011, Werner Kok in 2015, and Senatla in 2016 — but the programme endured several difficult seasons before Leyds’ rise signalled their return to the summit of the sevens game.

Speaking in Bordeaux just minutes after the announcement, Leyds credited his squad and coaching staff for pushing him to levels he had not initially thought possible. “Credit to my squad for pushing me week in, week out in camps, even in the off-season and pre-season,” he said.

He revealed that head coach Philip Snyman had set him a defining challenge ahead of his second season. “Coach Philip came to me and said, I hope that your goal for this season isn’t to be the best ten in the system but to be the best ten in the world,” Leyds recalled. “In that moment I was like, ‘coach, this is my second year. I don’t know if I can reach those heights.’ Obviously my second year didn’t go the best and I’m in my third year receiving the Men’s Player of the Year award.”

Leyds was also named in the Men’s SVNS Dream Team of the Year alongside Blitzboks teammate Shilton van Wyk. Henry Hutchison, Vuiviwa Naduvalo, Terio Veilawa, Jeremy Tervithick, and Lucanio Gonzalez were among the other players recognised across the season.

During the regular campaign, Leyds was named Player of the Final at SVNS Vancouver as South Africa claimed three consecutive SVNS 1 titles, form they carried into the World Championship to seal back-to-back crowns.