Planet Rugby Awards 2021: England, Blues, Toulouse, Bristol v Quins, Lions, Lebel, Savea…

Adam Kyriacou

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 thoroughly deserving winner in our first category.

Planet Rugby Awards 2021

International team of the year: England

Not the men obviously who, despite having a good end to 2021, were pretty abysmal in the Six Nations, but the women’s team after another stunning campaign. They claimed the 2021 Six Nations title – their third in a row without losing a game – and also produced a series of excellent displays in the end-of-year matches. The Red Roses demolished New Zealand twice and then enjoyed dominant victories over Canada and USA. Although the Springboks had a good year on the men’s side, they just didn’t have the consistency of Simon Middleton’s outfit, who now go into the 2022 World Cup as firm favourites.

Super Rugby team of the year: Blues

After finishing third in their domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament, the Auckland-based outfit hit their straps in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition where they finished their campaign in style with a 23-15 win over the Highlanders in the final at Eden Park. It was a fitting reward for head coach Leon MacDonald and his charges as they were the only team to finish with an unbeaten record, after also winning all six their matches of the round robin phase of the competition. The Blues’ triumph was a momentous one as it ended an 18-year wait for success as they last won the Super Rugby title in 2003 when they beat the Crusaders in the final.

European club team of the year: Toulouse

After winning a Champions Cup and Top 14 double few would argue that Toulouse deserve this accolade as they have been in outstanding form throughout the year. Under the guidance of Ugo Mola, Les Rouge et Noir have transformed themselves in recent years. Already the most successful club in the history of French rugby, they regained their past glories in 2021 with an entertaining brand of rugby, with stars like Les Bleus half-backs Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, All Black great Jerome Kaino and Springbok flyer Cheslin Kolbe central to that resurgence. It wasn’t easy as they had to graft for victories over La Rochelle in the Champions Cup and Top 14 finals but in the end they were deserved winners in both tournaments.

Game of the year: Bristol v Harlequins

This year’s Premiership semi-final at Ashton Gate was one which will live on long in the memory as there was plenty of thrilling action for most of this match, which went into extra-time, and the result was in the balance until its closing stages. Harlequins came into the encounter as heavy underdogs as they finished in fourth position on the table with Bristol occupying top spot. And it showed during the first half as the Bears held a comfortable 28-5 lead at half-time. However, things changed dramatically after the interval as Harlequins gained control of proceedings with a fantastic attacking display. After 80 minutes, the sides were level at 31-31 and the game headed into extra-time but the momentum had well and truly swung in Quins’ favour and, after staging one of the greatest comebacks in Premiership history, they sealed a 43-36 victory to advance to the final, which they won against Exeter Chiefs.

Try of the year: Matthis Lebel for Toulouse

As previously mentioned, Toulouse are real entertainers with an expansive game plan and they can breach the tightest defences with moments of magic as Castres found out in their Top 14 encounter. The match was in its closing stages and Castres were holding a 26-17 lead when Toulouse threw caution to the wind with Maxime Marty launching an attack from close to his try-line. He did well to beat Filipo Nakosi down the left-hand touchline. After that, it was poetry in motion as the ball went through several pairs of hands before Lebel rounded off in style.

Men’s player of the year: Ardie Savea

Although he was injured during the early part of the season, the back-rower has played consistently well whenever he has turned out for the Hurricanes or New Zealand. Savea’s all-action style of play was particularly impressive in the Test arena where he shone for the All Blacks during their fine run earlier in 2021 when the men in black were victorious in all of their matches. And although their form waned towards the end of the year, Savea was one player who still maintained his high standards and it was surprising when he was not on the shortlist of nominees for World Rugby’s Player of the Year award. He had something to smile about though when he was crowned All Blacks Player of the Year earlier this month.

Women’s player of the year: Zoe Aldcroft

We agree with World Rugby here, however. England were the dominant force in the women’s game in 2021 and Aldcroft was central to that excellence as the second-row played a leading role for her team throughout the year. The 25-year-old came through the age group ranks for England and has been a mainstay of their senior team since making her debut against France in 2016. Aldcroft’s efforts for her country were rewarded earlier this month when she was crowned World Rugby’s Women’s Player of the Year which was no mean feat as she beat out England team-mate Poppy Cleall and France’s Caroline Boujard and Laure Sansus to the award. She is the fourth English player to win the award after Michaela Staniford in 2012, Sarah Hunter in 2016 and Emily Scarratt in 2019.

Performance of the year: France v New Zealand

Under normal circumstances the question would be ‘Where did that performance come from?’, but this is Les Bleus we’re talking about – a side renowned for their unpredictability. The All Blacks headed into this fixture on the back of a defeat to Ireland in Dublin and most of the talk in the build-up to their fixture in Paris was about the backlash France would receive from the men in black. The opposite was true as the home side dominated from the outset and raced into a 24-6 half-time lead. The All Blacks did well to narrow the gap to two points midway through the second half but France finished stronger and sealed an emphatic 40-25 triumph in the game’s final quarter and, in doing so, ended a 14-match losing streak against New Zealand.

Controversy of the year: Rassie Erasmus ‘videogate’

The highly anticipated series between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions was embroiled in controversy when the Springboks’ director of rugby Rassie Erasmus slammed the officiating during the first Test which the famous touring team won in Cape Town. Erasmus posted an hour-long video online in which he launched an unprecedented attack on referee Nic Berry. The 62-minute video includes 26 clips from that opening Test and put plenty of pressure on the match officials during the two remaining encounters. The Boks eventually won both those Tests to clinch the series but Erasmus’ video rant overshadowed the on-field action and it came as no surprise when World Rugby suspended him from all rugby activity for a period of two months.

Coach of the year: Simon Middleton

2021 has been a memorable year for Middleton as he has guided England to several successes and on a fantastic 18-Test winning run which stretches back to 2019. The 55-year-old’s team started 2021 with a bang when they were crowned Six Nations champions and they followed that up with a hard-fought win against France before notching back-to-back one-sided triumphs over New Zealand last month and similar results against Canada and the USA to finish off the year. Middleton has coached England since 2015 and this has been their best season by a country mile since he took charge of the country. He made history at the World Rugby awards when he became the first women’s team coach to win the coveted World Rugby Coach of the Year award.

Biggest disappointment: Lions tour

It was continuously fraught with issues in the lead up to the tour and the games – whether it be the warm-ups or the Tests themselves – were a letdown. In some ways, it was remarkable it even went ahead at all, but that in itself tells a story. There were several options open to organisers, whether it would be playing it at ‘home’, having it in Australia where Covid wasn’t so rampant at the time, or behind closed doors in South Africa. Nothing was ideal and in the end they chose the latter, but the lack of supporters just didn’t feel right for a Lions tour. The action on the field was also disappointing, with conservatism ruling any sort of positivity with ball in hand during the Tests and as a result it has quickly been forgotten. In fact, the only abiding memory was the unedifying saga involving Rassie Erasmus, which rather says a lot.

Most innovative play: Edd Howley for Bridgend Ravens

We’ve seen many things on a rugby field but not this. It came in the slightly unglamorous surroundings of the Welsh Premiership Cup as Bridgend Ravens took on Swansea, but this brilliant piece of skill left mouths wide open. With the score locked at 13-13, Howley kicked the ball forward but, realising that the defender would have tackled him had he regathered, the Bridgend man headed it over the opposition player and touched down for the winning try. Debate raged over the legality of it but there doesn’t appear to be anything in the laws which says you can’t do that. So well played, Edd.

Comeback(s) of the year: Quade Cooper and Morne Steyn

A tie here with Cooper and Steyn doing it for the oldies and producing superb efforts after a long time away from the Test arena. Although the Aussie fly-half was the better all-round player, starring as the Wallabies went on a four-match winning run at the end of the Rugby Championship, the South African landed a decisive penalty in the Springboks’ victory over the British and Irish Lions. Akin to what he did in 2009, Steyn kicked the series-winning three-pointer as Jacques Nienaber’s men defeated the tourists in August. The 37-year-old would then watch on as Cooper did the same to South Africa in the Rugby Championship to complete what has been a wonderful year for two players that have been outstanding servants for their respective countries.

Turnaround of the year: Benetton

The Treviso-based side are perennial underachievers in the European game and, once again, they found the going tough in the PRO14 where they finished the 2020/21 season with the worst record after losing all 16 of their matches. That was the final PRO14 campaign and ahead of the inaugural United Rugby Championship tournament organisers held the Rainbow Cup for 12 European clubs and the Rainbow Cup SA for four South African franchises with the winners of the two competitions facing each other in the final. Well, Benetton finished at the top of the European tournament – after winning four and drawing one of their five matches – before thrashing the Bulls in the final. Some turnaround!

Biggest relief: Agen winning a game

For 34 matches and 608 days, they failed to win a match. Their previous victory came in the heady days of pre-pandemic rugby when they overcame Brive 30-16 on February 22, 2020 but, even accounting for the Covid-induced sporting shutdown, it would be a long time before they tasted success again. They went through the whole 2020/21 Top 14 campaign without claiming a triumph – losing all 26 of their encounters. Even dropping down into Pro D2 didn’t stop the rot and they would continue to struggle, but on October 22 they finally ended that drought. Agen defeated Aurillac 25-21 to bring joy to they passionate supporters and, since then, they have managed to secure three more wins.

Most French try: Biarritz in the Pro D2

Continuing the French theme and some crazy and wild things always happen in those leagues. It therefore felt apt to do an award dedicated to France and it goes to Biarritz, who touched down in bizarre fashion at Colomiers. The hosts went into the final play of the game 16-15 ahead, which meant the visitors needed to score. Slightly oddly, when Biarritz only needed a penalty to win, they opted for a cross field kick, but thank god they did, otherwise this wouldn’t have happened. A frantic passage of play duly ensued, with Biarritz desperately trying to score and Colomiers desperately trying to clear, but in the ending visiting centre Brieuc Plessis-Couillaud touched down for the match-winner. Just glorious.

Unsung team of the year: Chile

Everyone knows about Uruguay and how they continue to develop but they very much have competition in South America from Chile, who have enjoyed an excellent year. The Chileans showed their quality by only narrowly going down to Canada 22-21 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifier away from home. They then took that form into the second match and overcame the Canucks 33-24, ousting the former quarter-finalists from the competition. Not content with that, Chile defeated Russia 30-29 in the last minute and then followed that up with a dominant display against the same side a week later. They now have a two-game tie against the USA next year which, if they win, will see the South Americans playing in France 2023. It would be an outstanding achievement.

Best Interview(s): Prop stars

We all know that the front-rows tend to be the game’s great characters, given their penchant for putting their heads few would ever dream of, but three tightheads and a loosehead showed just why in 2021. There was the comedic in Joe Marler, who had several hilarious moments during the year but particularly in Harlequins’ title-winning surge, and also the emotional. Tightheads Kyle Sinckler, Shaunagh Brown and Taniela Tupou showed that props have a softer side as well in moments which tugged at the heartstrings. Sinckler was gutted at his Lions omission, Brown became emotional after Quins’ win in the Premier XVs final and how much women’s rugby has grown, and Tupou talked about the importance of family. They were all equally wonderful.

Feelgood moment: Ruby Tui at the Olympics

Talking of great interviews, the Black Ferns Sevens star went viral after her infectious personality warmed the hearts of people around the world. In a chat with the BBC, she spoke with absolute enthusiasm and just seemed so happy to be there. During an Olympics which had its detractors due to the issues caused by Covid, Tui embodied the spirit of the event and as a result deserves a section all by herself.

Bizarre moment: Josaia Raisuqe channels the Lion King

We go way back to January with this when the Fijian decided to celebrate Nevers’ win over Beziers by lifting referee Laurent Millotte in the air. It was rather amusing in some ways but it was ultimately disrespectful towards the official. He broke a cardinal rule in rugby in that regard and it was not a surprise to see Raisuqe red carded and subsequently receive a five-week ban for the act.

Brain fade award: Brice Dulin and Teddy Iribaren/Melvyn Jaminet

Players make mistakes and sometimes it costs their team the game, but we can’t think of too many stranger and more stupid moments than these two. Back in March, France were playing Scotland and had a 23-20 lead when the clock went into the red. Les Bleus needed a hefty points differential to win the Six Nations, which meant their title hopes had evaporated. However, Dulin still wanted to run the ball out of defence from deep, leading to the Scots turning it over and winning the game. That, though, was perhaps slightly more understandable than his French colleagues in July as Iribaren and Jaminet cost their side the game with a needless mix-up against Australia. Once more, time had elapsed and Fabien Galthie’s men were in possession of the ball. All they needed to do was win the lineout and kick it out but instead the scrum-half passed it to the full-back, who then tried to ship it on to Damian Penaud. The issue was that it did not reach its target, allowing Australia to grab hold of the ball and eventually earn a penalty to snatch a 23-21 victory.

Spirit of rugby: Henley Hawks

There have been some great acts of sportsmanship in 2021 but this was probably our favourite. It actually happened very recently – on December 18 – as Henley faced Barnes in England’s National League 2 South. The score was locked at 17-17 when the Hawks were awarded a very kickable penalty for a home team player not rolling away. It had transpired, however, that the offending individual, flanker Jasper Cameron, was actually injured and unable to move. Most teams, particularly given the situation in the game, would have gone for the posts, but Henley sportingly kicked the ball into touch to end the match. Well played.

Australia