Gamers of the yr
1 Antoine Dupont (France, Toulouse, France sevens)2 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)3 Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), Ox Nché (SA), Wallace Sititi (New Zealand), Ellie Kildunne (England)
Head coaches of the yr
1 Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)2 Joe Schmidt (Australia)3 Franco Smith (Glasgow Warriors)
Most memorable video games attended
1 England 37-42 Australia – Twickenham (sorry, Allianz Stadium)2 Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins – Stade Chaban-Delmas3 Leinster 22-31 Toulouse – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Bathtub 26-36 Bristol – Recreation Floor
Most pleasant groups to look at
1 Toulouse2 Bristol3 England girls
Rugby ambassadors of the yr
1 Ilona Maher (US)2 Antoine Dupont3 Jack Willis (Toulouse)
Annus horribilis
1 Rugby Soccer Union2 Stuart Hogg3 Exeter Chiefs
Greatest anthem singing
The eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney stole the present earlier than Eire’s 36-0 win over Italy in February with a splendid rendition of Eire’s Name.
Greatest rugby journal
Rugby Journal.
Greatest rugby column
Ronan O’Gara (Irish Examiner).
Rising stars to look at in 2025
Tom Willis (Saracens), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Man Pepper (Bathtub), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks).
Potential British & Irish Lions bolters
Sam Prendergast (Eire), Tom Jordan (Scotland), Tom Rogers (Wales), Theo Dan (England).
Most tempting 2025 rugby treble wager
Toulouse to win the Champions Cup, British & Irish Lions to beat Australia, England girls to win the Rugby World Cup.
Predicted Gallagher Premiership champions
Saracens.
Predicted Premiership Ladies’s Rugby champions
Gloucester-Hartpury.
The newest rugby union information and evaluation, plus all of the week’s motion reviewed
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after publication promotion
Predicted URC champions
Leinster.
Relaxation in peace
Stephen Bale (rugby author), Kevin Bowring (Wales), Alun Carter (Wales), Peter Crittle (Australia), Ronnie Dawson (Eire), Connor Backyard-Bachop (New Zealand), Sid Going (New Zealand), Derrick Grant (Scotland), Norm Hewitt (New Zealand), Barry John (Wales), Lewis Jones (Wales), Ken Macaulay (Scotland), Courtenay Meredith (Wales), Lucien Mias (France), Derek Morgan (England), Peter Morgan (Wales), Medhi Narjissi, (France U18), Tony O’Reilly (Eire), John O’Shea (Wales), Shayne Philpott (New Zealand), Malcolm Worth (Wales), Jack Rowell (Bathtub/England coach), Donald Scott (Scotland), Andrew Titheridge (commentator), Chris Wardlow (England), JPR Williams (Wales), Tom Voyce (England).
Three needs for 2025
1 A superb Ladies’s Rugby World Cup2 A aggressive, high-quality Lions series3 A brand new visionary period on the RFU
Fifteen memorable quotes from 2024
“The boys name him ‘The Martian’, like he’s not from Earth, he’s an alien. He does some stuff at coaching the place you may’t do something however shake your head and simply want you might do this, too.” Toulouse’s France worldwide ahead Emmanuel Meafou on his teammate Antoine Dupont.
“For a lot of the time I used to be at struggle – with opponents, with rivals, typically with coaches, typically with myself. For probably the most half … it felt like a struggle.” Eire’s retired fly-half Johnny Sexton.
“Keep in mind what it felt like when somebody was being bullied in school and also you had been simply glad it wasn’t you? That was the vibe.” Danny Care displays on Eddie Jones’s tenure as England’s head coach.
“I believe it’s shit or bust, to be trustworthy. It’s both going to go a technique or one other … one thing’s obtained to provide.” Ellis Genge on the monetary stability of the skilled membership recreation.
“Have a look at any recreation on a Friday or Saturday and the demographic of individuals watching it … they’re principally aged 50-plus. It’s about how we will make the sport extra enticing to folks to look at and play it.” Newcastle’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond, on the necessity to broaden rugby union’s attraction.
“If I used to be a rugby participant I’d be terrified by this report. I believe that is now a line-in-the-sand second the place all of the spin and bravado round how rugby is faring must cease.” James Haskell displays on a worrying report on membership rugby’s funds.
“Lookup ‘athlete’ within the dictionary and it doesn’t point out race, faith, sexuality or intercourse. What I hope is that youthful youngsters are saying: ‘It doesn’t matter who you might be or the place you come from.’ In the event you love a sport and excel in it, go for it.” Campbell Johnstone, the primary All Black to return out as homosexual.
“I went to fulfill the infectious ailments specialist who informed me what my life was going to be like. I used to be informed I’d undergo from power fatigue for the remainder of my life, that I wouldn’t work once more, that I’d be impotent and that they didn’t know the way lengthy I’d final. These had been all good issues to inform a aggressive bastard!” England’s abilities coach Andrew Strawbridge recollects his life-threatening hospitalisation with sepsis, which additionally brought on him to lose the sight in his proper eye.
“After the Scotland recreation we had a chat as a squad, coaches and gamers. We determined we wanted to be braver, name for the ball extra and get the ball to the surface channels as a result of now we have such harmful gamers on the market.” Henry Slade on England’s tactical shift through the 2024 Six Nations.
“I don’t suppose any of us need rugby union to show into Aussie guidelines. I’m not positive everybody desires to look at extra kicking and extra scrums.” England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, not a fan of the refereeing crackdown on kick-chase “escort” defenders.
“With out missing humility, I’d desire Eire, England or France.” Ronan O’Gara on his future Take a look at teaching aspirations.
“From 17 to 21 or 22, in the event that they’re correctly managed, now we have what might be a generational group. Each nation has expertise but when we get the correct taking part in constructions … I’m actually enthusiastic about what England has. We’ve got oodles of expertise.” England’s government efficiency director, Conor O’Shea.
“It’s nothing about rugby, it’s about my ambition to make my dream come true and play within the NFL.” Louis Rees-Zammit on leaving rugby for a shot on the NFL.
“If I’d mentioned a yr in the past that you might play Champions Cup rugby in London you’d have canoed up the west coast of Africa. Don’t take all this as a right.” Stormers coach, John Dobson, desires his gamers to profit from their participation in northern hemisphere-based competitions.
“I attempted as soon as. They mentioned six Max Boyces had already phoned.” The nice Max Boyce, requested whether or not he ever will get free tickets for Wales internationals in Cardiff.
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