Du Toit, Kildunne and Dupont win World Rugby awards
England full-back Kildunne helped England retain the WXV1 title in October, while Pieter-Steph du Toit's South Africa won the Rugby Championship in September
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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 star Antoine Dupont won men's sevens player of the year after switching from XVs and helping his country to the Olympic title in July.
Kildunne, 25, claimed her award 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.
Du Toit, who first won the men's award in 2019 after the Springboks won the World Cup, has been at the forefront of a team who won the Rugby Championship and 11 of their 13 Tests this year.
Also at the awards ceremony in Monaco, Ireland back row Erin King won the women's breakthrough player of the year award, while New Zealand flanker Wallace Sititi won men's breakthrough player.
Kildunne's stellar year
Kildunne has 48 caps for England
England back Kildunne's award comes off the back of a year in which she helped her side to a Six Nations Grand Slam, as well as represented 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.
Kildunne's prolific try-scoring has helped her become one of the leading players for John Mitchell's Red Roses, who are on a 20-match winning run and are now favourites for next year's World Cup in England.
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.
"I haven't even scratched the surface of my potential," Kildunne told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.
"Genuinely there is so much more to come. I am an ideas person anyway, I was getting a massage the other day and was picturing a certain kick I could do on a counter attack.
"There is so much more to come and I hope to keep being part of this successful Red Roses team."
Du Toit edges out fellow Springboks
Pieter-Steph du Toit's try helped the world champions to a 29-20 win over England in November
Du Toit, 32, becomes the first South African to win the men's award twice, with his first coming five years ago.
The 86-time capped Springbok, who has dominated games both as a flanker and lock in 2024, 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.
Du Toit flew back to Europe for the ceremony having previously returned to South Africa for assessment of a shoulder injury.
However, he did not make it in time for the presentation, with his wife Willemien instead collecting the prize on his behalf.
"I was actually standing next to the baggage claim when I got a message from my friend and my wife to say that I had won the award," Du Toit told Rugby Union Weekly.
"I think it is actually quite suitable [that his wife picked up the award] for all the support she gave me through the years.
"I am just grateful to be part of the wonderful Springboks team at the moment, if you look at the top-class players at the moment any one of them could stand here and take any position in the dream team."
More glory for Olympic poster boy Dupont
Antoine Dupont scored two tries in France's gold medal match at Paris 2024
Dupont, 28, got the Paris Olympics off to a perfect start for the host nation when he came off the bench to steer France to a 28-7 win over Fiji in the final.
Already a star in the XV-a-side ranks, captain of his country and voted 2021 player of the year, Dupont's transition to sevens worked out perfectly, as he led his side through the tournament.
The crowning moment came in that final when he came on with the score 7-7 at half-time, delivered a miraculous assist and followed it up with two tries of his own.
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.
"It was a wonderful year for me - it was tough to play XVs and sevens but really worth it," he told Rugby Union Weekly.
"We were lucky to experience an Olympics at home, so when you win it the atmosphere in the stadium was completely insane."
Dupont did not rule out a possible return to sevens for France's title defence at Los Angeles 2028.
"Never say never," he added. "We will see in four years to see how my body and mind will be but maybe."
King and Sititi breakthrough players
Elsewhere, Ireland's King took the women's breakthrough award having only made her international XVs debut in September, while New Zealand flanker 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,, external using her strength to prevent Lane from falling backwards before bringing her back down with the ball.