Yahoo Sports Du Toit, Kildunne and Dupont win World Rugby awards
England and Harlequins full-back Ellie Kildunne has won World Rugby's women's player of the year award, while South Africa forward Pieter-Steph du Toit claimed the men's award for a second time.
France's Antoine Dupont won sevens player of the year after helping his country to the Olympic sevens title in July.
Kildunne, 25, wins her accolade after an impressive year that saw her crowned 2024 Women's Six Nations player of the championship, help England retain their WXV1 title and score 14 tries in nine tests for the Red Roses.
Also at the awards ceremony in Monaco, 21-year-old Ireland back row Erin King won the women's breakthrough player of the year award, while New Zealand's Wallace Sititi won men's breakthrough player.
Kildunne's stellar year
England back Kildunne's award comes off the back of a year that also saw her represent Team GB at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they finished seventh.
She beat Red Roses team-mate Alex Matthews to the award, as well as France's Pauline Bourdon-Sansus and Canada's Alex Tessier.
In the last 12 months the Harlequins back has become one of England's most recognisable women's rugby players having also moved into fashion design, photography, and launched her own podcast with fellow Red Rose Jess Breach.
Du Toit edges out fellow Springboks
Du Toit, 32, becomes the first South African to win the men's award twice, with his first coming in 2019.
The 86-times capped Springbok beat team-mates Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe to the title, as well as Ireland captain Caelan Doris.
Etzebeth has now been nominated three times, in 2014, 2023 and 2024, but is yet to win the award.
More glory for Olympic poster boy Dupont
Dupont, 28, got the Paris Olympics off to a perfect start for the host nation when he steered France to a 28-7 win over Fiji.
Two tries and an assist help to deliver France's first gold medal at the Games.
The Toulouse scrum-half decided to miss the 2024 Six nations in order to prepare for the Olympics, but he returned to the France XV for the autumn internationals, including a 30-29 win over the All Blacks.
King and Sititi breakthrough players
Elsewhere, Ireland's King took the women's breakthrough award having only made her international XVs debut in September.
New Zealand flanker Wallace Sititi won the men's breakthrough player award.
King won four caps and impressed during a WXV1 campaign that saw Ireland finish second, including a famous win over world champions New Zealand.
She also represented her country in Sevens at the Paris Olympics, and ended up going viral on social media.
During a restart in their match against Team GB, she held team-mate Emily Lane above her head, using her strength to prevent Lane from falling backwards before bringing her back down with the ball.
