With the conclusion of this weekend test matches, the top tier International Rugby for 2014 comes to a close. Although it is just the beginning of the Rugby season for the Northern Hemisphere with the six nations in February, it is the close for the current calendar year. It is also the end of the Southern Hemisphere season.
Over the course of the last year there has been some spectacular rugby on display, with some sublime rugby contests, both in Europe and down under. There were many records broken, titles won and historic achievements.
Best games of 2014
Looking back at some of the great games of 2014 the second test between the Springboks and the All Blacks at Ellis Park stands out. It was one of the most gruelling test matches in history and a 55-metre penalty in the 78th minute gave the Boks a narrow 27-25 win. The All Blacks who trailed for most of the game clawed their way back into it to take a 25-24 lead in the 70th minute. The Springboks finally handed the All Blacks their first ever loss in the revamped rugby championship when Pat Lambie slotted in the long range penalty in the dying stages of the game. It was also the All Blacks first loss since November 2012.
Another pulsating game involving the Springboks was the second test against Wales in the June test series. Once again the Boks came from behind, this time piling on 14 points including a penalty try in the final 10 minutes to win by the narrowest of margins 31-30. Wales got off to a spectacular start leading 17-00 by the 22nd minute but the South Africans clamored back into the game with a try and penalty try in the last ten minutes of the 1st half, they later repeated this in the last ten of the second half to steal the win.
The second test of the England vs All Blacks series was also a phenomenal game of rugby. The world champions were pushed to their limits by the touring Englishmen who went down fighting to a 27-28 score line. All though the All Blacks seemed in command most of the game, patches of brilliance by the English saw them tested. Two late tries from England proved to be too little too late for the visitors although it made for an interesting end to the game.
Top teams of 2014
As expected the World champions New Zealand take the top spot in the world rankings and are definitely the team of the year. Of the 14 games in the calendar year the All Blacks won 12 picking up one draw and a loss. In addition to some exceptional individual performances the Blacks put in a number of brilliant team performance which give them the title of best team of 2014.
The surprise performers of 2014 were Ireland who have climbed four sports in the World rankings,up from 7th where they were last November to 3rd. The Irish who were at an all-time low in 2013 have surprised the world in 2014 beating almost every team they faced having lost only to England in the 6 Nations, taking the title after a lapse of five years. The Irish also managed two brilliant wins over South Africa and Australia in the end of year tests at home. The performance of 2014 has put the world on notice with less than a year to go for the World cup; Ireland will certainly be the dark horses on the grandest stage.
South Africa have also had a good year of rugby apart from a few lapses, the Boks have held on to their number 2 rank through 2014. The Springboks won 8 of their 12 games in 2014, including a historic win over the All Blacks. Unfortunately for the South Africans they were unable to maintain any consistency dropping 2 games in the end of year tests against both Ireland and Wales.
Best players of 2014
The towering lock from New Zealand Brodie Retallick was deservedly named the IRB player of the year for his performances in 2014. The 6ft 8in, 260 pound giant was superb all year long. Retallick was all over the park whenever he was on the field and was always an attacking threat in open play. He repeatedly linked up in mid-field to create overlaps for his team and was absolutely dominant around the breakdown. In addition to this the 23 year old was near perfect in the set pieces, especially in the lineouts as his towered over his opponents.
South African third rower Duane Vermeulen came in a close second to Retallick also putting up some outstanding performances in the green jersey. Vermeulen predominantly played at number 08 for the Boks slipping in to the blindside flank and lock when needed. His versatility in the pack is what makes him a first choice player in any coaches squad but it his physicality that makes him one of the best performers of 2014.
In addition to these two behemoths South African Willie LeRoux, All Black Julian Savea and Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton were also nominated for the IRB player of the year and all three were top contenders for it. New Zealands Ben Smith, Wales’ George North and Australia’s Israel Folau were also among the top performers for 2014.
Historic Achievements and records of 2014
The All Blacks completed an unprecedented fifth year atop the IRB world rankings. In addition to this New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw reached 100 tests as the All Blacks captain becoming the first player in Rugby to captain his side in 100 tests. McCaw also became the most capped All Black with 137 caps. He also became the first player to reach 100 test wins. The All Blacks also broke their record for most home wins taking it to 36 wins at home since 2009. They also equalled the record for most consecutive wins with 17 equalling the record shared with the 1965 All Blacks and 1997 Springboks.
Irishman Brian O’driscoll retired having played 141 caps becoming the most capped player in Rugby history beating George Gregans record of 139 test caps. Odriscoll also became the first player to score 25 tries in the six Nations tournament and broke the record for most caps in the Six Nations with 65 caps in the tournament.
