Best and worst of rugby in 2009

The end of year rugby awards have been rolled out by the Guardian and I thought I would add my two pence worth too with a very strong New Zealand bias (of course).

Best player
Guardian: Shane Williams (Wales). Harsh on Richie McCaw and Dan Carter but Williams deserves recognition for proving conclusively that height and weight are not the sole measure of a rugby player's worth.
ruggerblogger: Absolutely Richie McCaw.

Best coach
Guardian: Robbie Deans (Australia). Warren Gatland, Graham Henry and London Irish's Toby Booth were all in the frame but the post-World Cup improvement of the Wallabies has been a credit to Dean's tactical acumen.
ruggerblogger: Warren Gatland for reviving Wales after their simpering exit from the World Cup in 2007.

Best young player
Guardian: Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland). Even in a losing Leinster side at Castres on Friday night he showed class, skill, composure and fortitude. I'd ink him into my British and Irish Lions squad now.
ruggerblogger: Welsh fullback Lee Byrne. That guy looks slippery and dangerous.

Best match atmosphere
Guardian: Guinness Premiership final, Wasps v Leicester, Twickenham. A world-record crowd for a club match and a significant milestone in the history of the professional game in Britain.
ruggerblogger: Well of course, it was the New Plymouth test match for the All Blacks V Samoa. Although the crowds at Croke and Munster for the All Blacks grand slam were even better.

Quote of the year
Guardian: "My England man put rampant rabbits to shame" — Angel Barbie gives the lowdown on England's ill-fated "Pony Club" visit in Auckland.
ruggerblogger: “I second my fellow Kiwis who advise that most of New Zealand regard the NZRFU as a conga line of bumbling **: a motley collection of provincial oxen, who glower at the world from a thicket of cauliflower ears, protruding foreheads, homespun jumpers, and dark mutterings about bloody PC gone mad, the rest a pack of failed businessmen, opportunists, and strategically shaved chimpanzees, conspiring to reduce the All Blacks to a 'Brand', and sold like a Big Mac Happy Meal.” – BBC message board - bjammin187

The Oliver Postgate memorial award for biggest clanger
Guardian: The manner of Brian Ashton's removal as England head coach did the Rugby Football Union absolutely no credit.
ruggerblogger: The Auckland Four and their mishaps.

Unsung hero
Guardian: Step forward Al Baxter, the much-maligned Wallaby prop. He deserved his sweet moment of revenge against England at Twickenham.
ruggerblogger: Richie McCaw. Ok, ok, he's not unsung. But captaining an All Black team to a 19 - 0 win over South Africa in South Africa, completing another grand slam tour in the UK and Ireland where all the Northern teams remained tryless, a hard fought Bledisloe win, Captain of the winning Crusaders in the Super 14, leaderhip and influence, not to mention picking yourself up after the humiliation of 2007. What more did he have to do to get IRB player of the year?

Ugliest aspect of modern rugby
Guardian: Tediously protracted bouts of aerial ping-pong between two mediocre kickers.
ruggerblogger: The greedy British and French clubs. Too much money and not enough skill, still.

Best overseas signing
Guardian: Still early days but Quins' purchase of Nick Evans looks a better bet than, say, Newcastle's investment in Carl Hayman.
ruggerblogger: I always said we’d miss Nick Evans. Carl Hayman just needs to come back home.

Forgotten man
Guardian: Phil Christophers (Castres). Feels a long time ago since he played for England, doesn't it?
Forgotten man: Andrew Sheridan. He was once the great white hope. What happened to him this year?

Best referee
Guardian: Nigel Owens (Wales). By his own admission it can be tough being a referee, let alone an openly gay one. Deserves respect for his honesty and, more often than not, his officiating as well.
ruggerblogger: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa). Let’s the game flow and doesn’t get too whistle happy.

Media man of the year
Guardian: Alastair Hignell, who hung up his microphone in May. An inspiration to his many friends and still toasted — often repeatedly — around the hotel bars of the world.
ruggerblogger: Why does it have to be a man?

And one of my own:

Biggest mystery: Why - if the All Blacks are the biggest money spinners when it comes to rugby - does the NZRFU not have any money?

Check out Total Flanker for his best of 2009 awards

Munster All Black Haka

Ireland down, Doug Howlett's Munster to go

It was another good day at the office for the All Blacks when they took on Ireland at the magical Croke park on Saturday night.

Not such a great night for Ireland who had hyped the game up quite considerably beforehand - which is not surprising as the talk-ups between test matches - particularly in the NH - seem to be part and parcel of tests nowadays.

Unlike the rest of the critical New Zealand rugby public, I thought the All Blacks showed a lot of heart. To restrict both Scotland and Ireland to tryless final scores says a lot about this team’s excellent defensive structure. And the backline looks exciting when it gets a bit of space.

Star player for me was Ma’a Nonu who made Brian O’Driscoll and co look ordinary. An easy looking fend flicked O’Gara into a green heap at one stage and the Wellington man ran some great lines – especially leading up to try he built with Joe Rokocoko.

New Zealand was a bit selfish when it came to releasing the ball. Particularly – and surprisingly – from Mils Muliaina. There were at least three passes that he didn’t release on potential overlaps and I’d like to think that will be picked up by the coaches and remedied come Cardiff. There’s no "I" in team Mils!

Meanwhile the All Blacks prepare for a midweek test against Doug Howlett’s Munster. Whether the Munster men will turn in a haka to challenge the Abs is anyone’s guess. I hope they do – it will make a good spectacle.

Highlights of the weekend

The polite Irish crowd remaining silent during the penalities - unlike us uncouth colonials who heckle and boo to our hearts content when the opposition kick for goal.

Australia taking it to England’s forward pack. Dingo Deans must be laughing smugly after the way the British media has harranged the Aussie scrum.

Lowlights

Ireland’s lack of guile, often getting pinged for offences when they were right in front of the ref. What was up with that?

Ireland taking up to five minutes to come onto the pitch before each half - keeping the crowd, the world and the other team waiting. Maybe a little prima donna-ish perhaps boys?

Doug Howlett Arrested

It continues to go Pete Tong with the All Blacks. Star winger and top New Zealand try scored Doug Howlett has been arrested but released on bail pending further charges after he allegedly trashed his room at the Hilton Hotel at Heathrow yesterday. If trying to reincarnate Mick Jagger's wild days from the 60s wasn't enough, he then proceeded to the hotel carpark where he did his own rendition of the Charlston on a couple of SUVs.

Dougie - all round nice guy and solid leader of the All Black backline has been a glowing role model for New Zealand these last eight years. If Graham Henry wasn't already feeling like a right dunderhead he surely will be doing so now after making a stirring coming home speech regarding the Pollyanna type qualities of his All Black team. "I'm very proud of how they conduct themselves as people," Henry said. "They're marvellous role models for this country. They put this country on the map right around the world and they touch a lot of people."

Howlett played his last game for New Zealand in Romania and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as the All Blacks campaign once again choked to an end. (Obviously he'd a skinful and was feeling a bit depressed -I probably would have done the same in fact). He commences his contract at Irish club Munster shortly.

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Doug Howlett signs with Munster

It is official. Thousands of women the length and width of New Zealand will be switching off their television sets next year when the All Blacks next play. The reason? Doug Howlett, the man who has inspired even the most uninterested female to watch rugby, has signed a two year contract to join Munster in Ireland. Which means no more Auckland Blues and no more All Blacks plus many broken hearts in his wake.

I realised Howlett's appeal when I sat watching an AB test in a pub in Amsterdam a couple of years ago. There was a small crowd of locals cooing his name. Actually - I realised his international appeal before then, but obviously my suspicions were now confirmed. Howlett has been a faithful servant to the NZRFU and a player that has always shown a great amount of dignity as well. You would never see Doug in a scrap (it would ruin his lovely locks after all), or backchat a ref. But mostly, Doug has been a scintillating finisher. Good luck Doug. New Zealand's loss is Munster's gain.

UPDATE: Doug gets in trouble for some late night tap dancing

UPDATE: For news of Doug's wedding