McGeechan: Ireland own 2018
Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan acknowledges those who have hit the heights during 2018, and casts an eye towards the next 12 months
Team of the year: Ireland. A Six Nations grand slam, including a dominant victory at Twickenham; a first tour series win in the southern hemisphere for 39 years; an unbeaten autumn, including that magnificent win over the All Blacks in Dublin. The rugby Ireland played this year was as good as anything any other country produced, including New Zealand. They deservedly cleaned up at the World Rugby awards – and all this after a Lions tour in 2017, which everyone else blamed for fatigue.
Player of the year: Johnny Sexton. There were some big performers for Ireland in 2018 but no-one was more influential in the biggest moments than Sexton. Of course, that injury-time dropped goal in Paris owed much to his team-mates. Indeed, Sexton was down with cramp for some of the build-up, as Ireland patiently worked their way upfield. But cometh the hour cometh the man. That was some strike from 45 metres. It is difficult to think of an action which had a bigger impact on a team’s season.
Coach of the year: Joe Schmidt. How could it be anyone else? Schmidt masterminded Ireland’s rise to No 2 in the world and it might have been No 1 had England managed to hold on and beat New Zealand at Twickenham. The announcement that Andy Farrell is to take over after next year’s World Cup is intriguing. The possibility that he might bring Leinster head coach Stuart Lancaster into his team, reuniting them from their England days, even more so.
Leinster are the Manchester City of rugby. Not only do they win, they are an absolute joy to watch. It’s difficult to think of a weakness. They’re strong at the setpiece, ferocious at the breakdown, their strike plays are lethal, and in Sexton they have one of the finest fly-halves in the world controlling things. The Irish province swept all before them in 2017-18, winning the European Champions Cup in dominant fashion, and appear well placed to repeat that victory this season.
Try of the year: CJ Stander (England v Ireland). Jacob Stockdale hogged the headlines with his dink over the top to score – and then did the same thing against the All Blacks this autumn to complete a dream year! But I preferred CJ Stander’s try in the England game. It came off a lovely midfield move between Sexton and prop Tadhg Furlong, with Sexton then becoming a decoy. That sent Bundee Aki through a gap, and his pass was taken on at speed by Stander. Brilliant.
Story of the year: Newcastle finish fourth. While English clubs had a difficult time 2018, Newcastle’s fourth place in the Premiership last season – particularly that win away at Leicester to secure it – was a massive achievement for the club, and a symbolic one for rugby in the north. Dean Richards’ team may be struggling at the foot of the table this term, but a win away at Toulon in the Champions Cup on the opening round of fixtures was more fairytale stuff. A great story.
Pass of the year: Finn Russell (Scotland v England). Danny Cipriani has made a brilliant start to life at Gloucester and threw a couple of brilliant passes in his first few weeks at Kingsholm. But that Finn Russell pass to Huw Jones at Murrayfield – floating the ball over the top of Jonathan Joseph’s head – was on another level. The fact that it led to a Sean Maitland try in the corner a few phases later was an added bonus.
Worry of the year: Leicester Tigers. I’m delighted that Geordan Murphy has been given the job fulltime at Welford Road. It’s about time they had some stability there after four head coaches in the space of two years. The demise of that once great club has been troubling, but with luck they can now turn the corner. They appear to be suffering something of an identity crisis at the moment, and it could get worse before it gets better with Murphy admitting recently that getting Tigers back on track was ‘‘like trying to turn a tanker around’’. Knowing what they want to look like, as a team, is key to Leicester’s re-emergence.
Lesson of the year: New Zealand are beatable. The All Blacks are still the best team in the world, even with Ireland having beaten them in Dublin. Had that game been in Auckland history suggests the scoreline would not have been the same. That’s not to say Ireland could not win in New Zealand. The All Blacks are beatable now. Everyone knows that and it is one of the reasons 2019 is shaping up to be so exciting. There is now genuine competition with six or more sides having the capability to beat the others. This threat could change the dynamic of the knockout stages; lose at the wrong time and you could be in the wrong part of the draw.
Emerging player of the year Sam Underhill. Underhill’s try-that-never-was against New Zealand was one of the standout moments of the rugby year. His hit on Scott Williams during the Six Nations – bundling him into touch as he was sliding over the line from 5m out – was arguably the tackle of the year, too. I was particularly pleased to see Sam emerge as a star, actually, as I championed him early in his career. The difference it has made to the balance of England’s back-row having a genuine openside (and to be fair Tom Curry is a genuine openside as well) has been incredible. James Ryan and Joe Cokanasiga deserve honourable mentions.
My hopes for 2019. The recent £200 million (NZ$298m) cash injection from CVC Capital Partners into the Premiership is a massive opportunity for the English game – but only if the money is wisely invested. After 20 years of growth, it is time for the clubs to think long-term. Which models work best? I think the answer has to be a conference system; fewer games but higher quality. Ringfencing for a few years at a time if needs be. The priority must be to protect players. They are playing far too much at the moment and it is costing not only the clubs but the national team.