Sam Cane has a burning desire to succeed in every minute of every game. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Sam Cane has a burning desire to succeed in every minute of every game. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Time for the Virtual Reality 2020 rugby awards, sponsored by Zoom.
Ironman Cup for Player Of The Year: Sam Cane
He's copped slings and arrows of the kind that used to be aimed at Reuben Thorne and Taine Randell. But during a massively inconsistent year for the All Blacks, thecaptain played with extraordinary commitment and expertise. He is the best No.7 in New Zealand, and hopefully his burning desire to succeed in every minute of every game will spread to the whole team in 2021.
Groundhog Day Award for Team Of The Year: The Crusaders.
Super Rugby grinding to a Covid19 halt didn't put even a tiny stick in the Crusaders' spokes. They lost their captain, Scott Barrett, vice-captain, David Havili, and rising stars in Braydon Ennor and Cullen Grace to injury, but still powered on to sweep Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Throughout four seasons of title winning triumph, the constant has been Scott Robertson, whose statement in his first year as the team's coach could act as a mantra for anyone in the coaching business: "Going to work is an absolute pleasure. I just want to be there around the players. That's what we do it for isn't it?"
The Crusaders celebrate with the title. Photo / Photosport
Hallelujah Chorus Medal for Bringing Joy To The World: Caleb Clarke
It would have been enough that Clarke's explosive running was a revelation on the international stage. But add in the warmth and humour off the field ("You looked like me," to his father Eroni Clarke, after Dad had a couple of good runs in the oldies team from the "Match Fit" tv programme was my favourite) and he was a dynamic ray of sunshine in a year when we needed all the light we could get.
All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke in action. Photo / Peter Meecham
The Future's So Bright He'll Have To Wear Shades Cup: Will Jordan.
Test players sometimes announce themselves with a sensational try. Not many do it with two. Rieko Ioane did, against the Lions in 2017, and in Newcastle against the Pumas Will Jordan hammered home the 38-0 thrashing with a pair that spoke to his quick thinking, good hands, and blistering speed. With the skill set to play both fullback and wing, the path ahead for Jordan could hardly be more exciting.
Will Jordan, right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring his second try against Argentina. Photosport
Willie Nelson Miracles Occur Award: The crowd at Eden Park on Sunday, June 14.
That a capacity crowd of 43,000 people packed Eden Park for the Blues-Hurricanes game was extraordinary on two counts. One was that in the rest of the pandemic ridden world any sport was only being played in empty stadiums. The second that the Blues had won enough respect in 2020 for fans to snap up every ticket a day before the Sunday afternoon match had kicked off.
General view of the packed crowd for the Blues-Hurricanes Super Rugby Aotearoa clash at Eden Park. Photosport
Ellen DeGeneres Award for Falling From Grace: The Pumas.
Whose heart wasn't won when they brilliantly beat the All Blacks and cried with joy afterwards? Whose heart didn't sink when the revelation of disgusting tweets by their captain coincided with the realisation that their game was so massively based on fierce tackling there was no room for anything that was exciting on attack.
Donald Trump This Is Actually Not Fake News Decorative Scroll: Stephen Jones admits too much kicking is ruining rugby.
Sunday Times' writer Stephen Jones has forever jeered at Super Rugby, saying the game went "barking mad" with all that running and passing, and being appalled at Kiwis being so silly they loved seeing "a blizzard" of tries.
Retired Colonels all over England would therefore have choked on their breakfast kippers when Jones informed them recently that "What was once known as the handling code has become a ghastly aerial ping-pong, and the strain on the neck muscles of followers as they crane to follow the ball has become intense." He went on. "And how utterly, boringly predictable are the kicks? Eddie Jones, the England head coach, said before the Ireland game that at present the team that kicks the ball the most wins Test matches. Horrible, history-shredding, but true."
This sudden desire by Jones to see tries scored is so staggering, can a mea culpa admitting he was wrong for eternally labelling Richie McCaw a cheat be far behind?
Elon Musk Tesla Trophy for Innovative Thinking: A Red Card Solution.
A former All Black friend has a brilliant, elegant, easy to apply, answer to red cards ruining a game.
"We're in the entertainment business in rugby now," he said. "Fifteen playing 14, or even 13, wrecks the game, and ruins it for the spectators who have paid good money to watch at the ground, or on pay tv.
Lachlan Swinton is sent off in his test debut against the All Blacks. Photo /Sky Sport
"When a red card is given, the offender should be sent to the bin for 10 minutes. Then the coach of his team has to decide on one player on the bench who can't be subbed on. It might be the player sent off, it might be another reserve. If there are two red cards the team is punished by having a thin bench to close out the game, but the fans aren't ripped off. It's still 15 against 15.
"Innocent players will suffer, but they're already dragged off the field, as Akira Ioane was in the Wallabies test in Brisbane. But it's surely better that a team has to sort out the next week how the guy red carded let down a mate, than tens of thousands of people see a ridiculously one-sided game."
