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The 2010 Tri Nations is over. The rugby on display was superb and the audience heartily satisfied by the spectacle.
With some exceptional performances and a fair dosage of nail-biting drama that a Hollywood writer would have struggled to script better, we now take a look back, pass judgment and take stock of the heroes and villains of the Tri Nations.
Best Kick – Kurtley Beale. He had no idea he was the kicker – he boosted Wallaby supporter morale and booted himself into the history books.
Best Line Break – Maa Nonu, whose one sock run was not only brilliant but led to a massive victory for the All Blacks.
Most poignant moment – A shattered and crushed John Smit on his knees.
Best blooper – Kurtly Beale’s 20 meter Falcon – pure comedy.
Best hero – Richie McCaw. The most caps in All Black history, tries, tackles and inspiration. Hated by many, cherished by New Zealand, McCaw is one of the finest ambassadors of the game. His paper mache school visit is worth YouTubing.
Best villain – Bakkies almost took this as did Giteau’s boot. And there was a fantastic eye gouge by a Wallaby on a Wallaby last Saturday. But Peter De Villiers wins this one after a long, hard fall from his high horse. You take the blue pill Peter- the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland .
Best actor award – Robbie Deans for his enthusiastic singing of the Australian anthem. That’s traitor talk Robbie. His other teary eyed performances in the after match interview were worth mentioning as well.
Worst missed yellow card – Jimmy Cowan backwards head butt into Bakkies Bothas forehead. Jimmy gets a free beer after the match and Bakkies goes to jail for a very long time.
Most overrated player – Giteau’s loss of form and the nauseous, endless headlines for Quade Cooper were close, as was Genia’s complacent work at halfback. But Cruden gets the cake for his very mediocre run on.
Best coach – 2010 the year that Graham smiled. After a battering by the Boks in 2009, Henry has well and truly lifted the game and his team to a new level.
Worst coach – PDV showcased off his lunacy with reds under the bed, vast conspiracies to take over the world and little black clad men from outer space filtered through his troubled mind and spurted out for all to see.
Whinger of the year – The Bok fans almost took this as a group award, but Rocky Elsom was downright embarrassing in his ill timed and ill conceived harassing of the refs. They are not liking him… and his bad loser after match speeches do the team an injustice.
Best player of the tournament – Richie was close, Pocock was there as was Juan Smith – but Israel Dagg is the dark horse that takes this closely contested battle for his simply breathtaking brilliant runs and tries. Remarkable for a sub.
Try of the tournament – goes to Israel Dagg for his 5 Boks can’t touch me, jaw dropping try that was admired with head shakes of disbelief by the Boks themselves.
Worst player of the tournament – Bryan Habana. From missed tackles, bad kicks, dropped balls, lousy positioning, 2010 was a nightmare for Habana who went from spectacular to being booed by his own crowd.
Team of the tournament – Wallabies grew, South Africa imploded. The All Blacks won every single match they played, racking up the most table points and the most points overall in the history of the Tri Nations. On top of that they have won the last 15 games in a row, scoring 51 tries to 15 with an average scoreline of 32-15.
Love them or despise them, they are the 2010 team of the tournament.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.