Cape Town - Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse and Free State Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen received the Absa Currie Cup Coach and Player of the Month awards for September respectively, on Thursday.

These awards acknowledge and reward coaches for their outstanding leadership (Absa Currie Cup Coach of the Month), while players, who are consistent and significantly contribute to the overall performance of their team receive the accolade of being named the Currie Cup Player of the Month.

A media panel, consisting of respected journalists and commentators, were unanimous in their choice of the Pumas coach for the month of September.

Having come tantalisingly close to winning a number of their Currie Cup encounters, Jimmy Stonehouse and his team recently secured a victory against Griquas in Kimberley.

It’s never easy to win in Kimberley - probably one of the hardest playing surfaces in the country - but in a commendable display of 15 man rugby, Stonehouse lifted his team to their first Currie Cup win of 2011.

The manner in which the Ford Pumas have been performing week after week, with a depleted squad to boot, have been outstanding. And even though the results may have not gone their way, their perseverance and drive have been absolutely superb. The victory against the Griquas in Kimberley has been an immense achievement for one of the so-called smaller unions in the Currie Cup.

Johan Goosen, the South African Under-20 flyhalf at the IRB’s Junior World Championships in Italy earlier this year, received the majority of the votes for his stand-out performances during the third month of Currie Cup action.

Still only 19, Goosen has made the step-up to the intense cauldron of Currie Cup rugby with such aplomb, that he has become the most talked about young flyhalf in the competition. The hard work invested by the youngster in his career, is certainly paying handsome dividends.

The Baby Boks’ flyhalf has played a pivotal role in the rise of the Free State Cheetahs and has contributed immensely towards their recent victories over the Sharks and Western Province, which kept the Cheetahs in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

Another player who was nominated for his fantastic performance in September, was Sharks captain Keegan Daniel, while Naka Drotské (FS Cheetahs) and John Mitchell (Golden Lions) also came into the reckoning for the coach’s award.



Johan Goosen (Photo provided)