Nadine Roos of South Africa during her team's match against Spain on day 2 of the HSBC Cape Town Sevens at DHL Stadium on 10 December, 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images) 
Nadine Roos — vital cog, leader and nominee for this year’s Springbok Women’s Player of the Year award — is the first local women’s player to sign for a Japanese club as she prepares to pave new ground at the Nagato Blue Angels (NBA) in 2023.
“I am really excited about the opportunity afforded to me to join the club,” said Roos.
“If you look at their history, it is clear they are one of the most successful clubs in the country and are well respected.
“For me personally, the different coaching structures, the culture and different rugby dynamics will help me develop further as an individual and player and that is something I am looking forward to.”
The Blue Angels contest the Taiyo Seimei Women’s Seven Series, where 12 clubs play in four tournaments over four months to determine a national champion.
“The club is in good standing and they have an excellent coaching set-up and I am confident that Nadine will grow as a player,” said Lynne Cantwell, SA Rugby’s high-performance manager.
Nadine Roos of South Africa during her team's match against Spain on day 2 of the HSBC Cape Town Sevens at DHL Stadium on 10 December, 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
“She is relatively young in rugby experience, so this will be a good experience for her. We want our players to be in demand from overseas clubs and hopefully this opens the door for other players as well. Nadine is such a dedicated athlete, we know she will represent us well and we wish her well.”
There is also excitement in the east Asian country for the arrival of the nimble Roos.
Blue Angels coach Paul Tietjens said: “Nadine is a player that demonstrates real X-factor in the women’s sevens game.
“Her speed, footwork, handling, decision making and game management skills make her a real threat with ball in hand, while her aggressive attitude, competitive drive and tackle execution skills make her just as dangerous without the ball.
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“The level of professionalism she displays off the field, means she is always working extremely hard to be the best version of herself. As a coach, I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to coach Nadine and we are very happy to have her coming to the NBA in 2023.”
Roos will be the fourth Springbok Women player to play abroad. Catha Jacobs is currently with Saracens, while Zintle Mpupha and Babalwa Latsha had stints in England and Spain respectively.
Player of the year
Roos has had an excellent year in green and gold, representing South Africa at the Sevens World Cup in September before running out for the 15s team in New Zealand a month later at the Rugby World Cup.
Her impressive form has seen her nominated for the Springbok Women’s Player of the Year alongside Mpupha, Lusanda Dumke, Aseza Hele, and Aphiwe Ngwevu.
The Men’s Player of the Year nominees feature the usual suspects in Lukhanyo Am, Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth. Breakout star this year, Kurt-Lee Arendse is also in the running alongside unsung hero, tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, with all battling it out for the top prize.
Junior Springbok captain Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is nominated in two categories, Young Player of the Year and Junior Springbok Player of the Year.
He will contest against Springboks Evan Roos, Jaden Hendrikse and Canaan Moodie for the Young Player of the Year award with Lions centre Henco van Wyk also cracking the nod in the category.
Barnstorming Lions flanker Ruan Venter and exciting Stormers centre Suleiman Hartzenberg will go up against Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the Junior Springbok Player of the Year category.
The winners of the awards will be announced in early 2023. DM
All nominees:
SA Rugby Player of the Year
Lukhanyo Am
Kurt-Lee Arendse
Eben Etzebeth
Siya Kolisi
Frans Malherbe
Springbok Women’s Player of the Year
Lusanda Dumke
Aseza Hele
Zintle Mpupha
Aphiwe Ngwevu
Nadine Roos
SA Rugby Young Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Junior Springboks/ South Africa ‘A’/ Stormers)
Jaden Hendrikse (Springboks/Sharks)
Canan Moodie (Springboks/Bulls)
Evan Roos (Springboks/Stormers)
Henco van Wyk (South Africa ‘A’/Lions)
Springbok Sevens Player of the Year
Selvyn Davids
Zain Davids
JC Pretorius
Junior Springbok Player of the Year
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Suleiman Hartzenberg
Ruan Venter
Team of the Year
Pumas
Stormers
Springboks
Coach of the Year
John Dobson (Stormers)
Jacques Nienaber (Springboks)
Jimmy Stonehouse (Pumas)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Sebastiaan de Klerk (Pumas)
Willie Engelbrecht (Pumas)
Devon Williams (Pumas)
Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Jaiden Baron (Boland Kavaliers)
Jaywinn Juries (Griffons)
Duan Pretorius (Griffons)