Brendan Gallagher takes a personal look at the Rugby World in 2013

BEST NEWCOMERS
BTSport for their lively match day coverage and excellent Sunday lunchtime round-up show which is the must-watch rugby programme of the week; Isreal Folau a wondrous three-in-one player who combines the best of Union, League and Aussie Rules; potless Oyonnax who rejoice in giving the galacticos of the T14 a bloody nose especially on their own mountainous pitch and Saracens’ all- weather pitch at Allianz Park which silenced all the doubters in seconds flat and is now the envy of the Premiership and beyond.
TRY OF THE YEAR
Nothing matches the raw athleticism and power of George North‘s try for the Lions in the first Test against Australia in Brisbane. If you are looking for the most extraordinary team effort check out Youtube for Colin Slade’s remarkable effort for the Highlanders against the Sharks.
BEST RIGHT JAB
You will go a long way to see a sweeter connection than Carl Fearns’ flicked right jab which decked Gavin Henson when Bath indulged in a little pre-season bonding in a local bar
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Kieran Read, Sean O’Brien, Leigh Halfpenny, Ben Smith, Willie Le Roux
MATCH OF THE YEAR
Ireland v New Zealand was actually the match of the decade, superior to the South Africa-All Blacks classic in Johannesburg in the summer because it had that extra edge that a clash of the hemispheres brings and a remarkable finish that no dramatist dare script. Both officiated by the Ref of the Year, Nigel Owens.
MOST SIGNIFICANT RESULT
Fiji Schools 22 New Zealand Schools 20 in Sydney. Now let’s see how many of those Fijians go on to play Test rugby . . . for the All Blacks.
BEST FIRST HALF
Exeter v Cardiff; Leinster at Northampton; Ireland against New Zealand in Dublin; Toulon at home to Glasgow; Ireland against Wales in Cardiff.
BEST SECOND HALF
New Zealand in Dublin; Wales at home to England; the Lions in the Third Test in Sydney, New Zealand against South Africa in Johannesburg.

BEST TACKLE
Bismark du Plessis who absolutely buried Dan Carter with a magnificent man and ball pile driver at Eden Park.
WORST SIN BIN DECISION
Bismark du Plessis who absolutely buried Dan Carter with a magnificent man and ball pile driver at Eden Park etc … and received a yellow card and lecture for his efforts!
MOST PAINFUL REALITY CHECK
Racing Metro were heading for a gala Christmas holiday game against Toulon at  the Stade de France until their dismal home defeat against Harlequins in the Heineken Cup after which the club issued a terse statement: “In light of the result against Harlequins on Saturday this has forced us to accept we are not a part of the great teams of the moment. The Stade de France is reserved for such teams and we do not belong there.” Ouch.
MOST WELCOME RETURN
Quade Cooper to starting duties and prime form; the Lions to winning ways, the straight put-in at scrum-time and the Lansdowne Roar (the New Zealand match was the first time the Aviva has ever really rocked).
MOST IMPROVED PERFORMANCE
Refcam has finally got its act together. It’s debut in 2012 was embarrassingly poor but the techies and producers have upped their game and we are beginning to get some wonderfully candid insights into some of the forward skirmishes and even the occasional punch-up.
LONGEST SPEECH
Richie McCaw did bang on a bit, and then some, when he grabbed the microphone at Twickenham to congratulate Dan Carter on his 100th cap after New Zealand had beaten England.
THE BRIAN RIX AWARD
The farcical ERC-Premiership row which brings the game into disrepute, closely followed by the soap-opera that is the Sonny Bill Williams publicity bandwagon.

CHAMPAGNE MOMENT
Jordan Williams turning on a sixpence to beat two Harlequins defenders en route to his superb individual try for Llanelli Scarlets at the Stoop.
UNEXPECTED PLEASURE
The IRB U20 World Champs in France was cracking, featuring a magical all-singing and dancing Welsh team, with Jordan Williams to the fore, and an incredibly well drilled and athletic England squad. Both were a joy to watch in their respective ways as they routed the Southern Hemisphere giants and chapeau to Sky for covering the entire tournament.
BEST BET FOR 2014
France in the Six Nations. Despite the shambles they have often appeared under Philippe Saint-Andre, the French will suddenly get hot and win the Six Nations. Put your house on it. France, in the professional era, have always won the Championship in the season following a Lions tour –1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010.
ONES TO WATCH IN 2014
Rhys Patchell – the big kicking, hard-hitting Cardiff utility back who is going to be a big star; Scarlets’ blockbusting centre Scott Williams – it’s his time for Wales; young Jonny Gray who already looks the real deal at lock for Glasgow and Scotland; The Exeter Chiefs duo Jack Nowell and Henry Slade; up-and-coming Toulouse hooker Christopher Tolofua; Italy’s promising fly-half Tomasso Allen and the new look Fiji Seven who are beginning to run riot again.
GET IT SORTED!
1. What is this complete bloody nonsense that has crept into the game this year about blatant
forward passes being ok as long as your hands are adjudged to have gone a sort of backwards direction? Complete and utter drivel and the invention of TV’s chattering classes. Does this mean an obvious crooked lineout throw is ok now if the hooker ‘aimed’ in the right direction or ‘intended’ it go straight only for a gust of wind to blow? A forward pass is a forward pass is a
forward pass. It either goes forward from the point of delivery or it doesn’t. Perhaps teams should stop trying to get away with dodgy ‘flat’ passes and support runners should go back to the
drawing board and time their runs 100% better? Schoolboy stuff.
Get it sorted!
2. And another thing… What the hell is going on with our international pitches, most of them are a complete disgrace, worse than Old Bogsideians 4th XV. The Stade de France pitch is a muddy ill-fitting carpet and positively dangerous and unfair. The squat France front row were told to scrummage ‘high’ by referee Wayne Barnes against South Africa which effectively prevented them from scrummaging at all. We might as well have had uncontested scrums. Meanwhile nematodes and roundworms have reduced Murrayfield to a morass which the groundsmen is treating with garlic – no seriously – while the Millennium Stadium playing surface has been lamentable almost from the off.
Get it sorted!
3. And another thing… What’s all this prissy nonsense about recovery time and our pampered modern day professionals being able to play only one game a week? Man up for God’s sake. Fiji
No.8 Netani Talei played a full 80 minutes for Newport Gwent Dragons when they lost their Friday night fixture 18-14 against Munster at Rodney Parade and then 19 hours later produced another barnstorming 80 minutes for Fiji in their centenary game against the Barbarians at Twickenham. Let’s have the occasional midweek game in the leagues to spice thing up a bit.
Get it sorted!
4. And another thing… These TMO decisions on everything? What’s that all about? Rugby is getting like American Football, the TV companies will be slipping in TV adverts next. It’s taking two hours to complete a game with all these constant stoppages and “going upstairs” at the slightest excuse. The game is losing all continuity and shape.
Get it sorted!
5. And one final thing before I go… Did the RFU ever get to the bottom of who leaked all that England stuff two years ago? A mountain of money was spent and we were bombarded with promises that no stone would be left unturned and they were reportedly on the point of exposing the Judas. And then nothing, the silence has been deafening. It’s never too late to dig out the truth. Get it sorted !