The Breakdown awards: best rugby matches, players and quotes of 2024

• Antoine Dupont (France, Toulouse, France sevens) 
• Eben Etzebeth (South Africa) 
• Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), Ox Nché (SA), Wallace Sititi (New Zealand), Ellie Kildunne (England)

Head coaches of the year 

• Rassie Erasmus (South Africa) 
• Joe Schmidt (Australia) 
• Franco Smith (Glasgow Warriors)

Most memorable games attended 

• England 37-42 Australia – Twickenham (sorry, Allianz Stadium) 
• Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins – Stade Chaban-Delmas 
• Leinster 22-31 Toulouse – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Bath 26-36 Bristol – Recreation Ground

Most enjoyable teams to watch 

• Toulouse 
• Bristol 
• England women

Rugby ambassadors of the year 

• Ilona Maher (USA) 
• Antoine Dupont 
• Jack Willis (Toulouse)

Annus horribilis

• Rugby Football Union 
• Stuart Hogg 
• Exeter Chiefs

Best anthem singing 

The eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney stole the show before Ireland’s 36-0 win over Italy in February with a splendid rendition of Ireland’s Call

Absolutely brilliant! 👏

Stevie Mulrooney, the star of the Toy Show, sings Ireland's Call in front of a sold out Aviva Stadium.

Fantastic. 💚#IREvITA | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/y8ftVi7MzJ

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) February 11, 2024

Best rugby magazine 

• Rugby Journal

Best rugby column 

• Ronan O’Gara (Irish Examiner)

Rising stars to watch in 2025 

• Tom Willis (Saracens)
• Cameron Hanekom (Bulls)
• Guy Pepper (Bath)
• Henry Pollock (Northampton)
• Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester)
• Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks)

Potential British & Irish Lions bolters 

• Sam Prendergast (Ireland)
• Tom Jordan (Scotland)
• Tom Rogers (Wales)
• Theo Dan (England)

Most tempting 2025 rugby treble wager 

• Toulouse to win the Champions Cup
• British & Irish Lions to beat Australia
• England women to win the Rugby World Cup

Predicted Gallagher Premiership champions

• Saracens

Predicted Premiership Women’s Rugby champions 

• Gloucester-Hartpury

Predicted URC champions 

• Leinster

Rest in peace 

Stephen Bale (rugby writer), Kevin Bowring (Wales), Alun Carter (Wales), Peter Crittle (Australia), Ronnie Dawson (Ireland), Connor Garden-Bachop (New Zealand), Sid Going (New Zealand), Derrick Grant (Scotland), Norm Hewitt (New Zealand), Barry John (Wales), Lewis Jones (Wales), Ken Macaulay (Scotland), Courtenay Meredith (Wales), Lucien Mias (France), Derek Morgan (England), Peter Morgan (Wales), Medhi Narjissi, (France U18), Tony O’Reilly (Ireland), John O’Shea (Wales), Shayne Philpott (New Zealand), Malcolm Price (Wales), Jack Rowell (Bath/England coach), Donald Scott (Scotland), Andrew Titheridge (commentator), Chris Wardlow (England), JPR Williams (Wales), Tom Voyce (England).

Three wishes for 2025 

• A brilliant Women’s Rugby World Cup 
• A competitive, high-quality Lions series 
• A new visionary era at the RFU

Fifteen memorable quotes from 2024 

“ The boys call him ‘The Martian’, like he’s not from Earth, he’s an alien. He does some stuff at training where you can’t do anything but shake your head and just wish you could do that, too.” Toulouse’s France international forward Emmanuel Meafou on his teammate Antoine Dupont.

“ For so much of the time I was at war – with opponents, with rivals, sometimes with coaches, often with myself. For the most part … it felt like a fight.” Ireland’s retired fly-half Johnny Sexton.

“ Remember what it felt like when someone was being bullied at school and you were just glad it wasn’t you? That was the vibe.” Danny Care reflects on Eddie Jones’s tenure as England’s head coach.

“I think it’s shit or bust, to be honest. It’s either going to go one way or another … something’s got to give.” Ellis Genge on the financial stability of the professional club game.

“ Look at any game on a Friday or Saturday and the demographic of people watching it … they’re mostly aged 50-plus. It’s about how we can make the game more attractive to people to watch and play it.” Newcastle’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond, on the need to broaden rugby union’s appeal.

“If I was a rugby player I’d be terrified by this report. I think this is now a line-in-the-sand moment where all the spin and bravado around how rugby is faring needs to stop.” James Haskell reflects on a worrying report on club rugby’s finances.

“ Look up ‘athlete’ in the dictionary and it doesn’t mention race, religion, sexuality or sex. What I hope is that younger kids are saying: ‘It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from.’ If you love a sport and excel in it, go for it.” Campbell Johnstone, the first All Black to come out as gay.

“ I went to meet the infectious diseases specialist who told me what my life was going to be like. I was told I would suffer from chronic fatigue for the rest of my life, that I wouldn’t work again, that I would be impotent and that they didn’t know how long I would last. Those were all good things to tell a competitive bastard!” England’s skills coach Andrew Strawbridge recalls his life-threatening hospitalisation with sepsis, which also caused him to lose the sight in his right eye.

“ After the Scotland game we had a chat as a squad, coaches and players. We decided we needed to be braver, call for the ball more and get the ball to the outside channels because we have such dangerous players out there.” Henry Slade on England’s tactical shift during the 2024 Six Nations.

“ I don’t think any of us want rugby union to turn into Aussie rules. I am not sure everyone wants to watch more kicking and more scrums.” England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, not a fan of the refereeing crackdown on kick-chase “escort” defenders.

“ Without lacking humility, I’d prefer Ireland, England or France.” Ronan O’Gara on his future Test coaching aspirations.

“ From 17 to 21 or 22, if they’re properly managed, we have what could be a generational team. Every country has talent but if we get the right playing structures … I’m really excited about what England has. We have oodles of talent.” England’s executive performance director, Conor O’Shea.

“ It is nothing about rugby, it is about my ambition to make my dream come true and play in the NFL.” Louis Rees-Zammit on leaving rugby for a shot at the NFL.

“ If I’d said a year ago that you could play Champions Cup rugby in London you’d have canoed up the west coast of Africa. Don’t take all this for granted.” Stormers coach, John Dobson, wants his players to make the most of their participation in northern hemisphere-based competitions.

“I tried once. They said six Max Boyces had already phoned.” The great Max Boyce, asked whether he ever gets free tickets for Wales internationals in Cardiff.

Guardian