Planet Rugby Awards 2018

Adam Kyriacou
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With a busy year almost over we go back over the last 12 months and hand out our gongs – good and bad – to a number of worthy recipients.

Let’s get into it with a fun one to kick things off.

Planet Rugby Awards 2018

Best fancy dress: Avo man

There was only going to be one winner here and he wrapped it up in January. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Avo Man at the Sydney Sevens.

Try of the Year – Sean Maitland (Scotland) v England

While the World Rugby Award for this went to New Zealand second-row Brodie Retallick for his effort against Australia, we have settled on Scotland wing Maitland’s crossing against England in the Six Nations. It started in their own half thanks to a staggering pass from Finn Russell that set Huw Jones on his way. Recycled ball and good continuity then led to Russell laying on the killer pass to Maitland. It’s a thing of beauty from any angle.

Mess of the year: Romania-Spain ineligible players debacle

Russia qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after Romania – who had initially secured the slot – Spain and Belgium were docked points for repeatedly using ineligible players during the qualifying competition. An investigation was initially launched after Spain’s controversial loss to Belgium, which was refereed by Romanian official Vlad Iordachescu. Following that enquiry, World Rugby stated their preference for the game to be replayed only for further information to come to light over player eligibility. Spain, Romania and Belgium were then found to have breached those regulations, leading to points deductions and Russia being the beneficiary of the decision. It was an incredible saga.

Fightback of the year: New Zealand against South Africa

Down by 12 points with just a couple of minutes to go, the All Blacks scored two tries in the closing stages to secure a 32-30 win over the Springboks in Pretoria in the Rugby Championship. New Zealand openside flanker Ardie Savea crossed for the match-winning converted score in the 79th minute to break 50,000 South African hearts. What’s more impressive is that New Zealand came back from 17 points down around the hour mark.

Super Rugby Player of the Year: Richie Mo’unga

After impressing in the Crusaders‘ 2017 Super Rugby title win, there was plenty of pressure on Mo’unga ahead of the 2018 campaign. The 24-year-old pivot showed his class though and shone as the team from Christchurch’s playmaker and also caught the eye with his goal-kicking. Mo’unga eventually guided the Crusaders to another tournament victory and peaked at the right time by delivering excellent performances in their victories over the Hurricanes and Lions in the semi-final and final respectively. It’s clear Mo’unga has a bright future in the game.

Team of the Year: Ireland

With just one defeat in the past 12 months it had to be Ireland. A Six Nations Grand Slam in the locker, a series win in Australia plus an unbeaten November international campaign that included victory over New Zealand made for a remarkable year for Joe Schmidt’s side. Now for the big one in 2019 as all eyes will be on Ireland to see if they can back up this excellent 2018 with a Rugby World Cup triumph in Japan.

Player of the Year: Jonathan Sexton

Beauden Barrett was on another level at times for the Hurricanes and New Zealand in terms of his attacking game but for his consistency in the crucial fixtures it had to be Sexton. The 33-year-old fly-half helped lead Leinster to PRO14 and Champions Cup glory and also played a vital role in Ireland’s impressive year, with his defensive qualities backed up by an impeccable kicking, passing and organisational game.

Controversy of the year: Israel Folau anti-gay tweets

The Wallabies star caused a storm when he took to social media to express his anti-gay sentiments. Folau, who’s a devout Christian, quoted from the bible to make his point and despite having a meeting with Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle and Waratahs boss Andrew Hore, the player would not back down. Folau even suggested he was being persecuted for his views and the whole episode left a sour taste.

Best soundtrack: Gloucester for Ollie Thorley try

First off what a try it was from the Cherry and Whites as from a turnover close to their own try-line, Ben Morgan’s break led to a searing slalom run from Thorley. It was a superb score from the Gloucester wing but days later the club somehow made it even better with this.

Luckiest Player of the Year: Owen Farrell

The England fly-half was very fortunate to escape punishment for a no-arms tackle on Springbok replacement centre Andre Esterhuizen during the closing stages of their Test at Twickenham. Referee Angus Gardner consulted the TMO but after reviewing video footage, he ruled the hit was fine despite Farrell leading with his shoulder. Three weeks later, Farrell made a similar no-arms tackle close to his line on Wallabies lock Izack Rodda but, once again, no action was taken against him with referee Jaco Peyper failing to penalise the player on that occasion.

Newcomer of the Year: James Ryan

An interesting one this in terms of timing, with the second-row actually winning his first Ireland cap in June 2017, but it was before he had even appeared for Leinster. However, since making his debut in September of that year, Ryan has got better and better, but became particularly prominent at the start of 2018. He starred in the province’s Champions Cup triumph at Montpellier and played a key role in the Emerald Isle’s Grand Slam triumph. Further success followed in Europe’s top-tier before a tour win in Australia and an outstanding November campaign confirmed Ryan as one of the best locks in the world.

Spirit of Rugby Award: Gareth Thomas and Doddie Weir

After the former Wales great was the victim of a homophobic assault at the hands of a teenager in Cardiff, the rugby world rallied together behind the LGBTQ community in a moving show of support. It was the French Rugby Union who got the ball rolling when they confirmed they’d be wearing rainbow laces in support of Thomas in their final November international fixture against Fiji. A number of other countries and clubs followed suit and Thomas admitted he was moved by the way in which the rugby world had come together to promote inclusivity and tolerance.

Former Scotland international second-row Weir was awarded the World Rugby Award for Character in Monaco. The 48-year-old, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2017, has released a book titled: My Name’5 Doddie to raise awareness for the condition. In terms of leaving a legacy, Weir opines that he would like to be remembered for his enjoyment of life, the sport he played for over a decade, and for having a good laugh along the way. Weir added that the motto he chooses to live by is one of “enjoyment with no regrets and always wearing a smile”.

Biggest U-Turn: Scottish and Welsh Rugby Union

Both unions initially refused to donate any of the estimated £3 million gate revenue from the Doddie Weir Cup match played between Scotland and Wales on November 3 in Cardiff. They then backtracked, after coming under intense pressure from supporters, media and former players, both releasing statements that a six-figure sum would indeed be given to Weir’s foundation. It was good to see sense prevail on this matter.

Red-face trophy award: Freddie Burns

Bath full-back Burns will never showboat on the rugby field again. With his side trailing Toulouse in a Champions Cup match, Burns was on his way to score a try that would have probably won the match but began celebrating a little too early which allowed Maxime Medard to knock the ball out of his hands and prevent the try. Poor Burns was a laughing stock after a mistake which eventually ended up costing his side the match.

Lenient suspension of the Year: Mathieu Bastareaud

This was a ban which irked plenty as the France international produced a nasty cheap shot on lock Christophe Samson. The centre was clearly frustrated by Samson’s actions, which led to a yellow card for the second-row, but it was a horrific act by Bastareaud. With the Castres man defenceless on the ground, he decided to strike his opponent’s head, leading to him unsurprisingly being sent-off. However, he only received a five-week suspension for the indiscretion, which ended just before France’s November internationals.

Pass master award: Danny Cipriani

The fly-half has enjoyed an outstanding start to his Gloucester career after joining from Wasps ahead of the 2018/19 season, with his passing range particularly impressive. Over several weeks in the Premiership, the England discard created tries through his vision and quality, which left many wondering why Eddie Jones continues to leave him out of the squad. He has been exceptional once again this season and those touches just emphasised the fly-half’s class.

Comeback of the Year: David Pocock

Took a sabbatical in 2017 but came back arguably even better and enjoyed an outstanding year for both franchise and country. The Wallabies themselves endured a torrid campaign but Pocock was the light that shone during a season which saw them win just four out of 13 matches. The flanker once again showed that he is still the best breakdown exponent in the world and, whenever the 30-year-old was unavailable, Michael Cheika’s men were generally toothless.

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