Rugby union 2009

And while the Class of 2009 may not have been able to match the exploits of their predecessors in 1997, they certainly put up a good fight.

There is no doubt they were up against the best side in the world, with the Springboks going on to dominate the Tri-Nations series.

Ireland, though, could argue that they are now the 'true' world champions after they followed up their first Grand Slam success in 61 years with victory over the Boks in November's 'battle of the hemispheres'.

Domestically, Munster and Leinster maintained the winning streak for the Irish as they lifted the Magners League and Heineken Cup respectively.

In the Guinness Premiership, Leicester edged out London Irish to be crowned champions - although the 2009/10 has seen the new-look Saracens rise to the fore.

However the off-field scandals, involving two of England's top clubs saw a number of negative headlines. Bath found themselves caught up in a drug-taking storm as first Matt Stevens and then Justin Harrison admitted taking cocaine, while three players were banned for failing to take tests.

At Harlequins, the fallout from the Bloodgate scandal - in which Tom Williams had faked an injury to get Nick Evans back on the field against Leinster in the Heineken Cup - saw Dean Richards and Stephen Brennan lose their jobs and begin bans.

England showed some signs of improvement in the Six Nations; however they struggled in the autumn - although injuries clearly did not help their cause.

The IRB awards saw Richie McCaw claim a second Player of the Year title, while the Boks named Team of the Year after finishing top of the rankings.

Check out skysports.com's highs and lows of 2009 and share your thoughts on the rugby union year using the feedback box below...

Team of the Season - South Africa

The All Blacks might have finished the year as the No.1 side, but it is South Africa who really impressed in 2009.

They went into the Lions series cold after no real warm-up for the three Tests, but they hit the ground running to come out on top in a phenomenal clash.

Not content with seeing off the best of British 2-1, they went on to dominate the Tri-Nations - with neither Australia or New Zealand able to live with them.

They have quality in depth for every position throughout the side, with John Smit arguably the best leader in the game.

There may be a few question marks over their coach Peter de Villiers - and certainly his handling of certain situations - however there is no arguing with their results up to the autumn internationals.

The wheels may have come off on the tour to Europe - particularly with the defeats to Ireland and France - however that shouldn't take anything away from their performances over the past 12 months.

Player of the Year - Brian O'Driscoll

I cannot see how O'Driscoll was overlooked for the IRB player of the year award.

Both international and domestically, the Irish skipper was simply immense.

He led Ireland to their first Grand Slam in 61 years, played a vital role as Leinster lifted the Heineken Cup and went on to shine for the Lions in South Africa.

Despite his tour against the Boks ending in injury, he returned to lead the side to victory over the world champions in November.

O'Driscoll also marked his 100th Test appearance with a match-saving last-minute try against Australia in Dublin.

Most Improved Player - Jamie Roberts

The Cardiff Blue was in sensational on the tour to South Africa and formed part of a formidable midfield partnership with O'Driscoll.

A strong runner and big tackler, Roberts stamped his mark on the world stage against the Boks.

He enjoyed a successful run in the RBS Six Nations and Heineken Cup to rightly earn his place on the tour - although many initially expected him to play second fiddle to England's Riki Flutey.

However, injury to Flutey opened the door for Roberts, and he and O'Driscoll never looked back from there.

The task for Roberts is now to prove he is no one-season wonder.

Moment of the Season - Ireland's Grand Slam

With many contenders for this award it is Ireland's RBS Six Nations winning drop goal by Ronan O'Gara will be inked heavily in the history books.

With a painful 61-year wait for Grand Slam glory, O'Gara slotted home the drop goal from the 22 metre line to ensure a narrow 17-15 victory against Wales.

With Ireland 15-14 behind in the 77th minute, scrum-half Peter Stringer's pinpoint pass to Munster team-mate O'Gara, completed a compelling victory for Ireland.

Had Stephen Jones's late penalty kick from the halfway line travelled an extra few inches, Ireland would have still lifted the trophy despite finishing on eight points with Wales, with a significant point difference margin, however without the elusive Grand Slam title.

It was the first time Ireland had won the championships since 1985 and in Declan Kidney's first attempt after taking the reins from head coach Eddie O'Sullivan in 2008.

With O'Gara's composure he steadied himself and sweetly struck the ball with his right boot to send the Irish fans into raptures and the Welsh fans to despair.

The 32-year-old fly-half imitated his country's nerve, belief, confidence and poise with his decisive kick to deliver the Grand Slam to Ireland who had been eagerly awaiting the moment since 1948.

Lowlight - The Lions second Test

The Lions can look back at a number of "if only" moments on their tour to South Africa but none more so than in the decisive second Test.

The Lions, picking up where they had left off in the opening match of the series, had torn into the Boks to take control.

However injuries and a resurgent home side, saw the control of the match slip away and it took a late penalty from Stephen Jones to level the match.

That would have been enough for the series to go into a nail-biting finale, only for a moment of madness to hand South Africa the victory.

Ronan O'Gara, the hero of the Irish Grand Slam success, became the villain of the piece as he first failed to find touch in the dying seconds and then took Fourie du Preez out in the air to hand South Africa a penalty.

Morne Steyn, who had helped turn the game after coming off the bench, landed the winning kick, leaving the devastated O'Gara in tears.

Best Performance - South Africa 28 Lions 25

One of the best matches of the decade, let alone the last 12 months. Personal heartache aside, this match had everything... early drama, tries, injuries, controversy and a grandstand finish.

It truly was edge of the seat stuff... and although the result didn't go the way of the Lions, there was no arguing with the quality of the match.

Even before Schalk Burger was sin-binned for his truly awful gouging of Luke Fitzgerald in the opening minute, you knew this was going to be a special match.

Stephen Jones was in superb form as he landed 20 points from the boot, including a beauty in the 77th minute to tie the match, while Rob Kearney was immense in defence, the Irish full-back scoring the only try for the Lions.

However, the hosts remained in touch throughout and began to come back into the match after the interval.

The Lions were not helped as they lost a succession of players through injury and the departure of props Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones ended their dominance in the scrums.

And things got worse for the Lions as their world-class centre pairing of Brian O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts ended up heading off - leaving the tourists having to patch up the backline.

The Boks took full advantage to finally move into the lead as Jaque Fourie powered over for the hosts' third try with seven minutes left.

Jones levelled matters with a coolly taken penalty with three minutes left - and the series looked set to go into the third Test.

However a moment of sheer madness by Ronan O'Gara gifted South Africa the chance to win the game - the Irish fly-half guilty of taking Fourie du Preez out in the air.

Morne Steyn held his nerve to slot over the penalty in injury time to leave the Lions - and O'Gara - heartbroken.

Year to remember - The RFU's World Cup bidding committee

The World Cup will return to England in 2015 after the RFU fought off competition from South Africa and Italy to host the tournament.

The success of the bid, though, came little over nine months after the RFU considered pulling out of the running due to the financial risks.

In October 2008, RFU chief executive Francis Baron had admitted that the risks were too high for the bidding nations.

The RFU ploughed ahead with their plans, though, and were rewarded when they received the necessary backing from IRB members despite the attempts of South Africa and Italy to scupper the bid.

The tournament was last held in England in 1991 - although games were played at Twickenham in 1999 - with RFU chairman Martyn Thomas expressing his "joy" at the decision.

Games will now be played at Twickenham, Wembley, the Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford, St James' Park, Anfield, Elland Road, the Ricoh Arena, Welford Road in Leicester, Kingsholm and St Mary's Stadium - received the backing of both the tournament organisers and the IRB.

Year to forget - Dean Richards & Harlequins

Harlequins will want to see the back of 2009 more than most. The now infamous 'Bloodgate' scandal not only rocked the club but the sport itself.

Who actually knew what and what actual attempt were made the club to cover up the sorry episode may never been revealed.

Ultimately, though, director of rugby Dean Richards and physio Steph Brennan lost their jobs in the fall out - with both handed lengthy bans from the sport.

Winger Tom Williams, who was the centre of attention on and off the field as the scandal dragged on, was also banned as a result.

Williams was found guilty of faking a cut in the Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat to Leinster; however it was his subsequent evidence in his appeal against the initial punishment handed out that will have hurt Quins.

Richards' subsequent admissions that he had used the tactic of faking injuries in the past meant Quins dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

And the Stoop-based club can only hope the appointment of Conor O'Shea as their new director of rugby can help them rebuild their image.

Gone but not forgotten

2009 saw Wales - and rugby fans worldwide - mourn the death of Bleddyn Williams aged 86.

Dubbed The Prince of Centres, Williams was one of the greatest players to take to the field.

Capped 22 times, Willams was the last man to skipper the Welsh to victory over New Zealand - just four days after he had led Cardiff to a win over the All Blacks.

Williams, whose sidestep was second to none, also toured with the Lions to Australia and New Zealand in 1950 - producing some of the best rugby of his life despite having suffered a serious injury in the season leading up to the trip.

Williams was harshly overlooked for the 1953 tour because of his age, with the Cardiff star retiring two years later.

Controversy - Scandals

Rugby's reputation was tarnished in 2009 by scandal on and off the pitch.

The Bloodgate affair highlighted a "winning at all costs" mentality - with director of rugby Dean Richards paying the price with a three-year ban as a result.

At Bath, the club were rocked by two separate drug scandals. England prop Matt Stevens made a tearful admission of cocaine abuse after he failed a drugs test, leading to a two-year ban from the sport.

And then Justin Harrison quit the Rec-based club after admitting he had taken cocaine as well. Harrison's admission came after three players were suspended by the RFU for missing drugs tests organised by the club.

Michael Lipman, Alex Crockett and Andrew Higgins were banned for nine months for failing to submit to drugs tests on two occasions as Bath investigated allegations of misconduct during an unofficial end-of-season celebration in London.

The trio, though, were cleared of allegations of drug taking at the disciplinary hearing.