2012 in Review: Rugby

With only days to go to Christmas, it's once again that time of the year to look back on the year of sport that has been.

In this issue - rugby.

It was always going to be hard for 2012 to live up to the drama and euphoria of 2011 - the word hangover comes to mind in the year after every Rugby World Cup. And at certain points of the season, it did feel as though the New Zealand rugby public were still suffering from overload in the aftermath of that epic October night in Auckland.

Even the rugby on show seemed to suffer a bit - at least on the international stage. The Six Nations was thrilling as usual even if the rugby wasn't quite of the highest quality with Wales winning their 2nd Grand Slam in 4 years, beating losing RWC finalists, France in Cardiff in an epic final weekend decider. However, Les Bleus would have the last laugh later in the year with a terrific autumn campaign to solidify their position as one of the top seeds at the next RWC in England, while Wales would slump to a winless 7 game streak and end up in the pool of death.

The rugby played on the other side of the world wouldn't be much better. Yes, the All Blacks would win all their games but it had to be said they did it fairly comfortably without going into top gear until the away games in Buenos Aires and Johannesburg - the game in the grandiose La Plata Stadium was in my opinion, the best performance by the world champion All Blacks in 2012. The Wallabies were beset by injury, Springboks were in rebuild mode and Los Pumas were always going to be a bit raw going into their first Rugby Championship - nevertheless, the potential is there for the Rugby Championship to be very exciting in years to come now that Argentina have added their flair to the contest.

The All Blacks are in a good shape and continue to refresh their squad with young talent - Retallick, Romano, Savea, Smith, Coles were superb as they made their All Black debuts. However, the thrashing by England in that last game will leave a sour taste for the summer and a lot more thinking for the coaches to do in regards to keeping the ABs fresh and on top of the world of rugby. 2013 should be tougher with the Boks, Wallabies and Pumas likely to be much stronger than they were this year.























While the international game was a bit of a mixed bag this year, the domestic game was a different story, with the Super Rugby championship providing plenty of excitement in its new format. The international break failed to stop the Chiefs momentum as they deservedly won their maiden championship. It is a remarkable achievement for first-year coach, Dave Rennie, who has turned the Chiefs from perennial bridesmaids into probably New Zealand's Super rugby powerhouse. What is striking is that the Chiefs have plenty of young players who can only get better in years to come under the former New Zealand Under-20 coach. It is up to the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues and Highlanders to catch up to the men from the Mooloo now.

The NPC also provided plenty of excitement too with interest alive in the provinces. The format will be tweaked slightly again for 2013 with less of the unpopular midweek games as the rugby union continues to strive to make the NPC relevant in this age of professional rugby.

So, who makes my starting team of the year?
1.Cian Healy, Ireland
2.Bismarck du Plessis, South Africa
3.Dan Cole, England
4.Sam Whitelock, New Zealand
5.Richie Gray, Scotland
6.Stephen Ferris, Ireland
7.Richie McCaw, New Zealand
8.Kieran Read, New Zealand
9.Mike Phillips, Wales
10.Dan Carter, New Zealand
11.Bryan Habana, South Africa
12.Ma'a Nonu, New Zealand
13.Conrad Smith, New Zealand
14.Cory Jane, New Zealand
15.Israel Dagg, New Zealand

Game of the season - Highlanders 36-33 Cheetahs - one of the greatest comebacks ever in Super Rugby with the Highlanders seemingly out of the game at 30-9 in Bloemfontein but an injury to flyhalf, Johan Goosen and quick tries by the Highlanders saw the tide completely turn in this game and Chris Noakes sealed a remarkable comeback with a 79th minute penalty.

Try of the season - Bryan Habana v New Zealand - Habana at his best, and a great treat for the crowd at the first ever All Blacks game at the new stadium.