From the brilliant to the ridiculous, Tony Curtis looks back on a manic past 12 months in rugby union.
Tony Curtis looks back on the past 12 months in rugby union
New Zealand finished 2011 on top of the world after they finally ended 24 years of hurt.
Graham Henry's side for once lived up to their pre-tournament billing, although they were given a scare in the final against France.
The All Blacks, though, were deserved winners - and will look forward to a new era following Henry's decision to step down.
A number of countries will be looking for fresh starts - including Les Bleus, who somehow reached the World Cup final despite a clear split with coach Mark Lievremont , and England, who will not look back on 2011 with any real fondness despite their Six Nations success.
Infighting at the RFU and off-the-field scandals blighted England's year - with Martin Johnson opting to step away following the RWC debacle.
Wales won over plenty of fans with their performances at the World Cup, although they had to settle for fourth after being edged out by Tri-Nations champions Australia.
The future, though, looks bright for Wales particularly under the guidance of skipper Sam Warburton.
In Europe, Leinster produced a memorable comeback to claim the Heineken Cup title, while Harlequins also left it late to snatch the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Closer to home, Saracens avenged their defeat in the 2010 Premiership final by toppling Leicester, while Gloucester won the LV= Cup.
Munster were crowned the Magners League - now the RaboDirect PRO12 - champions, while the Reds were celebrating success in the expanded Super Rugby competition.
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Team of the Season - All Blacks
There can only be one winner of the award, with the All Blacks having coped superbly with the weight of expectation of 4million people to win the World Cup.
Having been heavily criticised for their early exit four years earlier - with many questioning how the coaching team of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith managed to keep their jobs - the All Blacks looked a class act throughout.
Not even the a fly-half curse - that saw Dan Carter, Colin Slade and then Aaron Cruden suffer injuries - or fitness fears over skipper Richie McCaw could hamper their bid.
They brushed all aside them in the pool, with their demolition of France a clear warning of what was to come.
Argentina and Australia both could find no way to halt the juggernaut before France threatened to spoil the party.
Fourth-choice No.10 Stephen Donald, though, kept his cool as the pressure built around Eden Park to slot over the decisive penalty.
Player of the Year - Richie McCaw
Having previously criticised the IRB for opting for the All Blacks skipper, this was the year that McCaw perhaps deserved the accolade as their player of the year.
Over the course of 12 months, there are other players who have undoubtedly played better - the likes of David Pocock, Thierry Dusautoir, Jerome Kaino were all impressive - however none played a more vital role than the Crusaders flanker.
Love him or hate him there is no doubting McCaw led the All Blacks from the front at the World Cup, with his efforts on the pitch all the more telling given the pain he was going through due to a foot injury.
The 30-year-old had a screw inserted into his right foot at the start of the year to help ease a nagging injury - however that ended up causing him more problems.
With the World Cup coming up, though, McCaw opted to play through the pain - which left him struggling to train.
MacCaw was a talismanic figure during the charge towards the Webb Ellis trophy and as the pressure built with every game, he remained a calming influence on the squad.
His best performance arguably came in the semi-final against Australia where he schooled young pretender Pocock in the art of the openside - including a couple of memorable steals.
Most Improved Player - Owen Farrell
Big things are expected of the Saracens fly-half and it is easy to see why after a stellar 2011.
Farrell had actually started the season on loan in the RFU Championship but he broke into the Saracens first-team at the end of the 2010 - and from his 17-point haul against Sale in January there was no looking back.
He guided Saracens to the Aviva Premiership title, with another nerveless display seeing off Leicester in the final. Farrell landed 17 points and put in a crucial tackle to stop Toby Flood during the closing moments.
Farrell went on to help England Under-20s to the final of the Junior World Championships in the summer.
Farrell has carried his form into this season, with the 20-year-old playing a key role as Sarries continue to be serious challengers in the league and in Europe.
This has seen Farrell strongly tipped for a place in the England senior squad and as the successor to Jonny Wilkinson.
Highlight of the Season - The World Cup
A total of 48 matches over the course of six weeks gave rugby fans everything they needed - with a lack of sleep an unwanted side effect.
It is easy to say that the tournament wasn't as good because of the timings or the negative headlines surrounding the England team. However it was in fact a well organised, well supported and very enjoyable affair.
The marker has now been thrown down to England to beat, with New Zealand as a whole embracing the World Cup from the off.
There were some quality games - with the minnows proving they are continuing to develop (in particular Russia v USA) - superb tries, magic moments and a whole host of drama.
The form of Wales at the tournament was particularly impressive, while no one could begrudge New Zealand claiming the title in front of their own fans.
Lowlight - England
There is little doubt England's off-field antics took the shine of the World Cup.
I am all for lads having a beer after rugby and going on team-building sessions, but it did seem a ridiculous accumulation of incidents.
The tone was perhaps set by the furore over the black shirts - but out in New Zealand there were more negative headlines.
And with England not performing on the field - and ultimately losing to a poor France side in the quarter-final - there was little to lift the spirits of the fans who made the long trip out to New Zealand.
The England media sessions became more about what was going on off the field than on it and there is little doubt it impacted on the side.
Game of the Season - Edinburgh 48 Racing Metro 47
A sensational year of rugby union meant there has been a whole host of games that could have won this award - the Aviva Premiership final, Leinster's Heineken Cup final comeback, Wales v South Africa at the World Cup and Ireland's win over Australia are all up there.
However the breathless Heineken Cup encounter between Edinburgh and Racing Metro - that yielded 95 points - is my pick.
Edinburgh had looked down and out as they trailed 44-20 and then 47-27 with 12 minutes left.
However Michael Bradley's side shocked the big-spending Parisians - with Tim Visser's second try of the match and Greig Laidlaw's conversion sealing a memorable win.
Laidlaw, Netani Talei, Tom Brown and Roddy Grant also crossed for tries for the Scots in an unbelievable 80 minutes of European rugby.
A special mention must go to Harlequins, too, after their heroic Heineken Cup victory over Toulouse.
Year to remember - Wales
Wales finish 2011 with their reputations well and truly enhanced following their World Cup showing.
They appeared to have been handed the toughest pool but from the moment they gave the then defending champions South Africa an almighty scare in their opening game, Warren Gatland's side never looked back.
Led superbly by Sam Warburton - and with the likes of George North, Toby Faletau, Shane Williams and Rhys Priestland all impressing - Wales overcame previous RWC nemesis Samoa, Fiji and Namibia to progress.
The highly-fancied Irish were no match in the quarter-finals while only a controversial red-card to Warburton cost them against France. However even with 14 men they came a hair-breadth away from reaching the final.
Ultimately the bronze medal match against Australia was a game too far for the side but they can be proud of their achievements.
And with a host of bright young players coming through - as seen at the RWC and on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit - Wales can look ahead to a bright future.
Year to forget - The RFU
Hopefully the appointment of Ian Ritchie as chief executive and Stuart Lancaster as interim coach will mean the RFU have finally turned the corner after a disastrous year.
The governing body did themselves no favours as infighting and a complete lack of direction made them a laughing stock in world sport.
From the fiasco over the doomed attempt to appoint a performance director, to John Steele's departure, to the Blackett Report, to England's World Cup disaster, to the damning leaks, the RFU appeared to lurch from one disaster to another.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson MP even called on the RFU to "reform the way it's run" in the wake of damaging revelations.
Ritchie, who has made the switch from his role as CEO of Wimbledon, now faces the unenviable task of steadying the ship and ending all the infighting.
Controversy - World Cup fixtures
If there was one negative to come out of the World Cup it was the treatment of the Tier Two nations, with the minnows having to cram in their fixtures.
While the likes of England and New Zealand were spared midweek fixtures and a short turnaround during the month-long pool stages, Canada, Samoa, Russia and Japan were among those forced to play with too little rest.
Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, in particular, was highly critical of the scheduling and the IRB.
He wrote on
Twitter: "The most important game in our history & we get 3 days off while our opponents get a week. Who's the genius behind this s***?! Same ol s***."
Given the resources available to the minnows, the schedule was simply unfair and left them with far much to do - something highlighted by their results later in the pools.
Encouragingly, though, the RWC2015 chief executive Paul Vaughan has already said he will look at addressing the issue for the tournament in England.
