It has been a hugely eventful year in the world of rugby, amid a plethora of incident and individual excellence.
Here’s our A-Z guide of what went on in 2021.
A is for Alun Wyn
Where better to start than with a man who has risen to new heights this part year amid more superhuman exploits.
Having skippered Wales to the Six Nations title, he was then chosen to captain the Lions on their tour of South Africa.
His dream looked to have been shattered when he dislocated his shoulder in the warm-up match against Japan, but he proceeded to defy medical science with a Lazarus-like recovery.
Within a matter of weeks, he was out in South Africa and went on to lead the Lions in all three Tests against the Springboks.
Then, in October, he surpassed Richie MacCaw’s record tally for New Zealand when he won his 149th Welsh cap, with his 12 Lions Tests putting him well out in front on 161 as the most-capped rugby player of all time.
And he's brought out his autobiography this year, too!
B is for Basham
Wales’ player of the autumn internationals.
Going into the campaign, Taine Basham had just three caps to his name, all of them off the bench.
But with Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi, Taulupe Faletau, James Botham and Josh Macleod all sidelined through injury, opportunity knocked for the Dragons back-rower and how he took his chance.
He played every minute of Wales’ four matches, packing down at both No. 7 and No. 8, excelling against New Zealand and earning the man of the match in the victory over Australia.
Only just turned 22, he has a huge future ahead of him.
C is for Covid
The pandemic has continued to ravage the game of rugby this year, just as it has affected all layers of society.
The Six Nations had to be played behind closed doors and we are now back to matches taking place without spectators here in Wales.
Covid had a huge impact on Cardiff and the Scarlets, who found themselves stranded in South Africa amid the emergence of the new Omicron strain and then had to undergo hotel quarantine on their return to the UK, with major consequences for their Champions Cup campaign.
Just this past week, both Boxing Day derbies had to be postponed because of Covid cases in the Ospreys and Cardiff camps and it remains to be seen just how long the fan-ban will continue with the Six Nations looming on the horizon.
D is for Disaster
That was the word Cardiff life president Peter Thomas used to describe the mysterious departure of Amanda Blanc from her role as chair of the Welsh Rugby Union's Professional Rugby Board.
Blanc, the chief executive officer of insurance company Aviva, stepped down in November after just under two years at the helm, also leaving the WRU board.
No reason was given for her exit, with all four regions issuing a joint statement expressing their sadness at the news.
Former Cardiff chairman Thomas has called on the WRU to provide an explanation, with the content of her resignation letter having so far remained confidential.
E is for Ellis
One of the most heart-warming stories of the year has been the return of Ellis Jenkins.
Merely getting back out on the rugby field again was a huge achievement, after some 26 months out following a catastrophic knee injury.
But much more than that, he went on to make an outstanding return to the international arena in November, shining brightly against South Africa, the same opponents he had faced on that fateful day two years earlier, and going on to captain Wales in their final two Tests of the autumn campaign.
And to end 2021 with another memorable moment, he got engaged to his girlfriend, West End star Sophie Evans, on Christmas Day.
F is for 50:22
One of a series of new laws introduced his year, the 50:22 has become a real valuable weapon, with a kick from your own half which bounces into touch inside the opposition 22 earning an attacking lineout.
F is also for Fish, with Cardiff cult hero Dan Fish having had such an eventful few months, twice coming out of retirement from pro rugby and winning a stack of new admirers for his performance at fly-half against Harlequins in the Champions Cup, amid a cobbled-together Cardiff team.
Fittingly enough, Fish is also a master exponent of the 50:22, which he has taken a real liking to.
G is for Governing Body
The Welsh Rugby Union has come in for a fair amount of flak this past year, particularly from fans of the four pro teams.
Much of the criticism has surrounded their financial policy, with the regions being left to pay back a £20m bank loan taken out by the WRU after they slashed their payments to the sides from £26m to £5m due to a shortfall in income caused by Covid.
There has also been unhappiness over the Union’s decision to invest the £51m of CVC Six Nations money primarily in long-term capital projects rather than directly in the pro teams.
Then there was the huge public pressure and an open letter from 123 former Wales internationals demanding better which preceded the WRU's eventual, and long-overdue, commitment to financially back Wales Women.
H is for Halaholo
It’s been a real rollercoaster ride for Willis Halaholo this year.
Just weeks after returning from a serious knee ligament injury which had left him contemplating hanging up his boots, he was called up by Wales and made his debut against Scotland in the Six Nations, going on to deliver a series of cameos as he shared in the Six Nations title triumph.
Come the autumn, he was all set to fulfil his dream of playing against New Zealand, the country where he was born and grew up, but that was dashed when he contracted Covid.
It looked as though the Cardiff centre was going to miss out on the whole campaign, but injury opened a door for an outing against Fiji and he ended up starting the victory over Australia.
I is for Injuries
They are part and parcel of the game, but they hit Wales particularly hard during the autumn.
They went into the four-match series without the likes of George North, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, Josh Navidi, Leigh Halfpenny, James Botham, Leon Brown, Dan Lydiate, Josh Macleod and Dewi Lake, who were all crocked, while Taulupe Faletau was unable to play any part either.
Then, during the campaign, they suffered further blows as Alun Wyn Jones, Ross Moriarty, Will Rowlands, Rhodri Jones and WillGriff John were all injured, while Elliot Dee had to sit out the first three matches. It was some casualty list.
J is for Jonker
The South African TMO found himself at the centre of an international storm this summer.
He was called up to act as video referee for the opening Test between the Springboks and the Lions after New Zealander Brendon Pickerill was unable to travel due to Covid.
Lions coach Warren Gatland was reported to be unhappy there was no contingency plan in place to ensure a neutral TMO for such a high-profile encounter, while forwards coach Robin McBryde referred to a “a lack of foresight”.
Against this backdrop, it was almost inevitable Jonker would take a pivotal role in the Cape Town Test and so it proved, as he was called on to adjudicate on three Springbok tries, two of which were ruled out as the hosts lost 22-17.
That was followed by South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus - more on him later - accusing the Lions of having questioned Jonker’s integrity, as the heat was turned up further.
K is for Knock-on
So was it a knock-on or wasn’t it?
Opinion was deeply divided following Wales’ victory over Australia in November when Nick Tompkins scored a try which was as controversial as it was crucial.
Putting out a hand to block a pass from Tom Wright, the Saracens centre picked up the ball on the bounce and raced in to touch down.
A number of players had stopped, expecting referee Mike Adamson to blow up, but the Scotsman allowed play to continue and then allowed the try to stand after checking the replays, deciding the ball had gone backwards.
Wallaby coach Dave Rennie was fuming after his side’s 29-28 defeat, labelling the decision-making by the officials as “horrendous”, insisting the ball had clearly gone forward.
L is for Lions
For so long, there were major doubts over whether the Lions tour of South Africa would go ahead amid the pandemic.
In the end it did, but, with hindsight, some may question whether that was for the best.
The matches had to be played behind closed doors and the tour was scarred by acrimony and bitterness off the field, while the rugby played by Warren Gatland's Lions as they went down to a 2-1 series defeat left many frustrated, amid criticism of their negative kicking game.
M is for McNicholl
Scarlets back-three man Johnny McNicholl had become something of a forgotten figure on the international front, having appeared just once for Wales in the 18 months prior to the autumn campaign.
But he was to prove one of the real successes of the series.
He barely put a foot wrong as he started at full-back against New Zealand and South Africa, then coming off the bench to play his part in the win over Australia.
Solid in the air, he was also an intelligent presence in attack, carrying on the form which has seen him top the try-scoring and offload charts among the Welsh contingent in the United Rugby Championship this term.
The 31-year-old is currently in talks with the Scarlets about signing a new contract.
N is for New Zealand
Fresh from winning the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks headed for Cardiff to provide the opening opposition for Wales’ autumn campaign.
It was a fixture that was to come in for fierce flak, with the WRU having arranged it for outside the official Test window, meaning England-based players like Dan Biggar, Louis Rees-Zammit, Taulupe Faletau, Nick Tompkins and Callum Sheedy would not be available.
Chris Foy of the Daily Mail dubbed it a “sham fixture” and “an exercise in making money from a mis-match”.
But WRU chief executive Steve Phillips hit back at critics, pointing out the fourth autumn Test was not a new thing and revealed the game would bring in up to £4m.
New Zealand won 54-16.
O is for Off you go
It really was a remarkable year for Wales in terms of the number of red cards handed out to opposing teams.
In all, no fewer than six players were sent off for foul play against Wayne Pivac’s men.
During the Six Nations, Ireland flanker Peter O’Mahony, Scotland prop Zander Fagerson and France lock Paul Willemse all saw red versus title-winning Wales.
O’Mahony and Fagerson were both dismissed for dangerous ruck clear-outs, while Willemse received his marching order for making contact with the eye area of prop Wyn Jones.
In the summer, Argentine full-back Juan Cruz Mallia was guilty of a dangerous tackle and then, in the autumn, Fiji wing Eroni Sau (swinging arm to head) and Wallaby No. 8 Rob Valetini (head on head contact) completed the set.
Read more: Wales' 'lucky' tag hinges on two big questions amid opposition's unprecedented series of red cards
P is for Peel
The year had begun with former Wales and Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel set to join Cardiff from Ulster as attack coach.
But then, in March, a bombshell dropped when it emerged he could be heading for the Scarlets instead, sparking a bitter row.
In the end, the situation was resolved with Cardiff agreeing to release Peel from his contract, enabling him to re-join the Scarlets, where he is now the man at the helm, with Glenn Delaney having departed in May.
In turn, Matt Sherratt has returned to the Arms Park from Worcester to fill the backs coach vacancy.
R is for Rassie
Where do you start with Rassie Erasmus?
He really has been rugby’s man of the year, certainly in terms of the amount of headlines he has generated, albeit not always complimentary ones!
The man who coached South Africa to World Cup glory in 2019 really set the cat among the pigeons with his hour-long video criticising the refereeing from Australia’s Nic Berry after July’s first Test defeat to the Lions.
That, eventually, saw the game’s most famous water carrier banned from all rugby for two months and from involvement with the Springboks on match days for a year.
Initially, both he and the South Africa Rugby Union said they would appeal against the verdicts from World Rugby, but they then performed a U-turn, withdrawing their appeals and apologising to the officials.
As he sees out his sanction, Rassie continues to be a must-watch on social media!
S is for Scarlets
It has been a pretty tumultuous year for the west Wales region.
You had the Dwayne Peel saga and the departure of Glenn Delaney.
Then came the ill-fated trip to South Africa and the resultant hotel quarantine in Belfast.
That left them unable to field a team for their opening Champions Cup fixture away to Bristol and they ended up having a 28-0 walkover defeat recorded against them, after their attempts to have the game moved to a later date were rejected.
But with subsequent Euro matches involving French teams - including the Scarlets' own tie against Bordeaux - being postponed, they are making fresh calls for the rescheduling of their Bristol fixture.
With their Boxing Day trip to the Arms Park having been called off because of Covid cases in the Cardiff camp, the Scarlets now haven’t played a game of rugby since October 22, while they are set to be hit by heavy financial losses through their home matches against the Ospreys, Dragons and Bristol having to be played behind closed doors.
T is for Title Winners
Few had given Wayne Pivac’s Wales a chance going into the Six Nations.
After all, they had endured a pretty dire 2020 results-wise.
But they proceeded to defy the odds, winning the title and coming within seconds of completing the Grand Slam.
It really was some turnaround.
U is for Underdogs
If Pivac's Wales side were underdogs in the Six Nations, that was even more the case with Cardiff during their recent Champions Cup matches.
They were without some 42 players due to Covid quarantine, injuries and suspension.
But, nevertheless, they managed to cobble together a team to take on Toulouse and Harlequins, drafting in Academy youngsters and semi-pros to line up alongside the Wales players who hadn’t made the troubled trip to South Africa.
They lost the games, but won so many friends and admirers for the way they approached them and the spirit they showed.
V is for Violence
French club rugby has thrown up its fair share of X-rated incidents over the years and that was certainly the case once again in October.
Just seconds into the first league match that Fédérale 3 teams Gan Olympique and Avenir Bizanos had played in 10 months due to the Covid shutdown, an extraordinary mass brawl erupted.
It stemmed from a reckless tackle by one of the Bizanos players straight from the kick-off, as he took out a Gan player off the ball.
That was followed by scenes of mayhem, with fists flying as three separate fights broke out and players spilled over the touchline.
W is for Wales Women
In November, the WRU announced it was going to offer some of its women internationals their first professional contracts.
Up to 10 players are to be awarded full-time deals, with retainer contracts for 15 more, while there will also be match and training fees and World Cup squad selection payments in 2022.
The announcement preceded a three-match autumn campaign which saw Wales, led by former U20s boss Ioan Cunningham, put in entertaining, attack-focused performances which yielded two wins and offered much-needed positivity for a change.
W is also for Walker, as one of Nigel Walker's first acts after taking up the role of WRU performance director was to get the contracts over the line.
The former Wales winger admitted the Union had not "covered itself in glory" in how it had managed the women's game in the past.
X is for Xmas
It’s fair to say there’s not been too much festive cheer in Welsh rugby this Christmas.
A combination of Covid cases and a ban on spectators saw the entire Boxing Day programme of top-flight matches postponed.
The regional December 26 derbies - Ospreys v Dragons and Cardiff v Scarlets - bit the dust due to positive Covid tests, while the following afternoon’s Premiership schedule was postponed as playing behind closed doors just wasn’t seen as an option, with community club games also called off.
Not much to ho, ho, ho about, either, on the financial front or from the point of view of fans who look forward to these Christmas games so eagerly.
Y is for Young
After more than nine years away, Dai Young re-joined Cardiff in the first week of 2021 following the departure of John Mulvihill.
The former Wasps boss initially came in on an interim basis, but was then confirmed as the club’s permanent director of rugby in April, signing a long-term contract.
Next season, he will be joined at the Arms Park by another Young, with his son Thomas making the move from Wasps.
Z is Zammit
It has been some 2021 for Louis Rees-Zammit.
He scored four tries during Wales’ Six Nations title triumph, including a stunning solo effort in the victory over Scotland, with his predatory form earning him selection for the Lions tour of South Africa.
There was another jaw-dropping score against Fiji in the autumn, followed by him being short-listed for World Rugby’s breakthrough player of the year, an award ultimately won by Kiwi Will Jordan.
Now the Gloucester winger, who is still only 20, has been named in the team of the year by leading French sports publication L’Equipe.
And he’s now not the only international Zammit, with his elder brother Taylor having made his debut for Malta in October.
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