As we say goodbye to 2019 and welcome in 2020, it's a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics
World Cup is a mess - and one man is to blame
Rugby, with its intricate laws, is a funny old game at the best of times but the performances of the officials at this World Cup are threatening to turn it into a laughing stock, McKendry wrote midway through the tournament. A series of controversial calls by referees angered rugby fans during the World Cup and McKendry concluded it was time to show some empathy and consistency.
There weren't many props like the talented Mike Tamoaieta
In March, 23-year-old former Blues prop Mike Tamoaieta died suddenly, and Patrick McKendry reflected on his talents in a column. While props traditionally avoid the spotlight, Tamoaieta wasn't your usual prop - and his skills were outrageous and daring.
Fitting beginning to World Cup as Japan overcome Russia
Two-and-a-half hours before the first ball of the Rugby World CUp was kicked, Japan Air Self Defence Force jets roared overhead trailing smoke and turning heads. The display of extreme power and aerodynamics was a fitting beginning to the official opening ceremony of the ninth World Cup and first in Asia, wrote Patrick McKendry.