Best decision of the year
The Highlanders taking a punt on Malakai Fekitoa. Equally, it could be said the Blues letting him go was the worst call of 2014, but perhaps Fekitoa needed to get out of Auckland to fulfil his potential. Whatever . . . the Highlanders were transformed. They made the playoffs and so much of that was due to the explosive power of their newly-acquired centre.
Worst decision of the year
Competitive category this one - the aforementioned Blues letting Fekitoa go . . . that was close. Aaron Smith posting his infamous selfie . . . Aaron Cruden not setting his alarm . . . England playing Kyle Eastmond at second-five in the third test . . . George Clancy yellow-carding Bryan Habana in Perth. But the two biggest shockers were Nigel Owens asking for a video replay after he had awarded Charlie Faumuina's try at Twickenham and Craig Joubert's last minute penalty against Richie
McCaw. Joubert was just plain wrong with that.
Biggest surprise
The sudden resignation of Ewen McKenzie. The Wallabies came into the Rugby Championship on the back of seven-straight wins and, by October, McKenzie was gone.
The best prove-everyone-wrong award goes to. . .
Dane Coles. Yep, straight up didn't think he had it. He looked in 2013 as if he was going to be one of those guys who everyone thought was a bit nothing while coaches explained he offered hidden value, was doing heaps of great things in training. Coles was, in fact, sensationally good. He probably delivered the best season from an All Blacks hooker since Keven Mealamu in 2010.
Best news of the season
That the All Blacks will finally play a test in the Pacific Islands next year. It's almost 30 years overdue but, hey, at least it's going to happen.
Most sadly inevitable news
That Samoan rugby is being held back by poor and hard-to-fathom administration. It has been an open secret for the past few years that administrators in Samoa are worse than awful. Equally sad was the predictable response of management towards the players last month when they spoke out about what they felt was happening.
Biggest concern
The Black Ferns being dumped out of the World Cup early was a surprise but possibly an aberration. Of genuine concern is the quality of competition on the sevens circuit now and the challenge New Zealand face in holding their No 1 spot and, therefore, their chance of winning an Olympic gold medal in the men's event in Rio.
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Of even more concern was the continued relatively poor performance of the national under-20s side. They were a long way behind South Africa and England. And it has to be asked: was Simon Hickey really the right choice as captain?
Most volatile season
Robbie Fruean opened the season by scoring a revenge try against the Crusaders. How he would have loved that - punishing the franchise that let him go at the end of 2013. A few weeks later, though, he was back in hospital in need of more heart surgery and barely featured again for the Chiefs.
Who then decided to let him go, despite the fact he had managed to get back and play for Hawke's Bay? Incredibly, he was announced as a Crusaders player in October. Even Shortland Street scriptwriters would find this a little hard to sell as credible.
Bravest win of the season
The Sharks defeating the Crusaders in Christchurch with 14 men. They had no business winning that night, playing for almost 70 minutes a man down at a ground on which foreign teams rarely win.
Most heroic act
Tawera Kerr-Barlow was clobbered by Schalk Burger in South Africa. Properly clobbered to the extent he required major surgery and then nine months of recovery. Yet Kerr-Barlow, conscious that his team needed him to stay on the park, stood up, hobbled about and played on for a few minutes. That was tough. He just pips McCaw, who played the better part of two tests against England with broken ribs.
Most significant victories
Argentina beating the Wallabies was a big deal. It was important the Pumas got the victory they so deserved after putting so much into the past three years. They needed a win to persuade the doubters they were actually progressing. Ireland beating South Africa in November was a biggie, too. Maybe the Irish are the real deal after all.
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We didn't see this guy coming award. . .
Patrick Tuipulotu. The Blues gave the impression this time last year they had reluctantly contracted him amid a dearth of alternatives. All the pre-season chatter was of a young man not ready to cope weekly with the physicality and intensity of Super Rugby. The evidence was entirely different. Super Rugby wasn't ready to cope weekly with the physicality and intensity of Tuipulotu. He eased his way into test football equally impressively.
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Most heart-warming event
The ITM Cup final was a welcome journey back in time to a forgotten age of hinterland dominance in New Zealand provincial rugby. Forget that Taranaki spent a bit of cash bringing in imports, the final between the amber-and-blacks and Tasman was the two best sides in the competition playing a seriously good game. A nearly full stadium and not a city slicker to be seen for miles. Classic.
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Best try of the year
Francois Hougaard scored a belter against the All Blacks at Ellis Park and Cornal Hendricks scored a memorable one at Eden Park. But from a local perspective . . . Fekitoa carving up the Sharks in Durban was sensational, as was Beauden Barrett's score for the Hurricanes in Dunedin, when they ran from pretty much behind their own posts.
Best performance of the season
The All Blacks' total annihilation of the Wallabies at Eden Park. If it hadn't been for a loose 15 minutes in the middle of the second half, the score could easily have been 70.
Least appreciated player
There are plenty of midfielders with all kinds of bells and whistles that excite all sorts of different people. Ryan Crotty, on the other hand, is pretty much vanilla and yet he became the player the All Blacks felt they had to have on their bench. Composed, accurate and willing, Crotty brought plenty and will be a hard man to leave out of the World Cup squad.
Least endearing act of the season
This goes collectively to the crowd at Twickenham who brought a rather nasty and savage edge to proceedings. Their constant booing of McCaw was tedious and the fact there was homophobic abuse aimed at referee Nigel Owens was despicable.
Biggest career regression
Francis Saili started for the All Blacks in Tokyo last October. He wasn't starting for Auckland this October.
Unluckiest player award
Has to go to Nathan Harris. He finally, after 18 months of being on the periphery, got his first All Blacks start in the US and a few minutes after scoring a try, was forced off with a serious ankle injury. He's got a lot to do to make the World Cup squad.
Worst performance of the season
The All Blacks who were lucky to draw the first test against Australia in Sydney. They didn't turn up. They were bad.
Best comeback
Charlie Faumuina was dropped in September - publicly accused by All Blacks coach Hansen of being unfit and scrummaging poorly. The tactic worked. Faumuina was probably the most consistent performer in the last six tests of the year.
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Biggest brain explosion
Has to go to big Ben Tameifuna and his decision to accidentally/deliberately shove referee Glenn Jackson during the ITM Cup. Tameifuna was suspended for five weeks as a result - much to the horror of the Chiefs coaching staff, who would have been wondering just how big their prop would be by the time he returned to action.
Dirtiest act of the season
John Deysel's nasty stamp on the face of Jordan Taufua that reduced the Sharks to 14. Taufua was being a pain and holding on to Deysel's leg . . . but that didn't give the South African the right to bring his boot down on his opponent's face.
Best game of the year
Highlanders 30 Crusaders 32. This was epic and came down to the last play of the game when Patrick Osborne dived over in the corner and the TMO took a small lifetime to determine what happened. He concluded Osborne was out before he scored. It was a tough call that had a major effect on their respective final placings.
