Plumtree, Fouche in August awards

Sharks coach John Plumtree and young Blue Bulls points machine Louis Fouché were named as the Currie Cup Coach and Currie Cup Player for August.

Plumtree was instrumental in guiding the KwaZulu-Natal outfit to impressive victories over 2011 Currie Cup champions, the Golden Lions and also Western Province last month.

Rookie Blue Bulls flyhalf Fouché, received plaudits for some impressive displays in the No.10 jersey for the Pretoria team

The announcements were made at two separate handovers on Tuesday.

Plumtree received his award in Durban, with Fouché accepting his in Pretoria.

Both winners walked away with R10,000 each.

The Currie Cup Coach and Player of the Month competitions is designed to acknowledge and reward coaches for their outstanding leadership and players for their consistency and for significantly contributing to the overall performance of their teams.

The monthly winners were chosen by a media panel consisting of respected journalists and commentators.

Other nominees included Golden Lions coach, Johann Ackermann, who led the Johannesburg-based team to the top of the standings in August and Blue Bulls mentor, Pine Pienaar, for transforming a young team into a formidable unit.

Plumtree received the highest number of votes from the judging panel. He also won this monthly award in August 2009 and was named the 2008 Currie Cup coach of the Season.

The 2012 edition of the Currie Cup has already seen a number of young players raising their game and producing some outstanding performances.

Players such as the Free State Cheetahs wing Raymond Rhule, in his maiden season was one of the front runners and Blue Bulls flank CJ Stander has been a key figure in the Loftus Versfeld side's arsenal.

He ran in closely behind Fouché for the award of Currie Cup Player of the Month.

Fouché, however, received the nod for being the leading points-scorer in the tournament and displaying commendable distribution skills with composure beyond his age.