Stormers lock Ruben van Heerden has earned top honours as the United Rugby Championship Tackle Machine of the Season.
The award is presented to the player with the highest tackle success rate among those who attempted at least 150 tackles over the season. Van Heerden, 27, claimed the title after completing 171 tackles at a remarkable 98 percent success rate, edging out Rory Darge of Glasgow Warriors (160 tackles at 97 percent) and Sharks flanker Phepsi Buthelezi (157 tackles at 96.82 percent).
Van Heerden’s consistency and defensive dominance offered a bright spot in what was otherwise a challenging campaign for the Cape Town-based franchise.
URC 2024/25 Individual Award Winners
Golden Boot: Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets)
The Welsh fly-half topped the points chart with 124 points, comprising 46 conversions and 78 penalty kicks. Lloyd finished ahead of Sharks’ Jordan Hendrikse (108) and Edinburgh’s Ross Thompson (105).
Top Try Scorer: Harri Millard (Cardiff Rugby)
Millard scored 9 tries during the regular season – tied with Stormers wing Leolin Zas and Munster centre Tom Farrell – but claimed the award by virtue of playing fewer minutes (796 across 13 matches).
Ironman Award: Cam Winnett (Cardiff Rugby)
Recognising durability and consistency, Winnett started all 18 regular-season games and missed just 13 minutes – the most time logged by any player. Munster’s Tom Farrell (1371 mins) and Dragons’ Shane Lewis-Hughes (1353 mins) followed.
Playmaker of the Season: Tom Farrell (Munster)
In the debut edition of this award, Farrell earned 158 points based on a weighted formula of try assists (15 points), offloads (82 points), and defenders beaten (61 points). He beat out Stormers fullback Warrick Gelant (118 points) and Lions utility back Quan Horn (111).
More awards – including Elite XV, Next-Gen Player, South African URC Player of the Season, and Players’ Player of the Season – are set to be announced later this week as the league continues to honour standout performers from the 2024/25 campaign.
