It was another thrilling year of rugby union action, with drama and talking points in abundance.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup was a tough act to follow but across both the club and international game, 2024 built on that incredible event in France.
From England’s tumultuous year to a dramatic Gallagher Premiership finale and everything in between, fans were truly spoilt.
With that in mind, we’ve picked out some of the biggest and best moments of 2024 to send us into the new year.
One step forward and two back for England
Spare a thought for England fans, who have had little to cheer about in 2024. After playing ugly but effective rugby en route to a third-place finish at the World Cup, head coach Steve Borthwick vowed to bring excitement back to the national side.
There were glimpses during the 2024 Six Nations. Tight wins over Italy and Wales were unconvincing before they capitulated in another loss to Scotland.
But as bad as that performance was, it was followed by a magical display at home to Ireland. The Twickenham faithful have arguably never been so raucous as when Marcus Smith nudged over a last-gasp drop-goal to seal a 23-22 win.
That was seen as the blueprint for the future and there were further encouraging signs on Super Saturday in a 33-31 away loss to France.
England then pushed New Zealand extremely close twice during their summer tour and really should have travelled home with at least one victory.
Borthwick’s side welcomed the All Blacks first up in the Autumn Nations Series looking for revenge but lost another nail-biter as George Ford missed a penalty and then a drop-goal attempt in the dying moments to fall two points short.
A pattern of close defeats had now emerged. The visit of the Wallabies was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to steady the ship, but it only deepened the woes as Max Jorgensen dived over with the clock in the red to consign England to a 42-37 defeat.
There was no shame in losing another close one to world champions South Africa the following weekend, but there was no hiding the fact that the autumn was a resounding disappointment.
Off the field there have been issues, too. Anger over RFU bonuses have rocked the governing body, while coaching instability certainly won’t have helped players trying to adjust to new systems.
It was a year that started with promise but in the end likely left fans with more questions than answers. All eyes on the Six Nations.
Ireland defend Six Nations crown
It feels like a lifetime ago but Ireland began the year in superb fashion, successfully defending their Six Nations crown to bounce back from a devastating World Cup quarter-final defeat.
Andy Farrell’s side once again underlined their status as the cream of the northern hemisphere crop.
It wasn’t perfect – big wins over France, Italy and Wales were followed by a one-point loss to England – but a hard-fought home triumph against Scotland ensured the trophy would remain in the Emerald Isle for another 12 months.
It also ushered in a new era after the retirement of stalwart Johnny Sexton in 2023, highlighting how strong Irish rugby is now and for the years to come.
Saints claim first Premiership title since 2014
On the club scene, the Gallagher Premiership was full of thrills and spills all the way through to the final showdown.
Northampton Saints were the standout side of the league phase and carried that form into the play-offs.
They overcame defending champions Saracens in a thriller to set up a clash with Bath in the final.
Bath were looking to claim the domestic crown for the first time, while the Saints hadn’t reigned as champions since the 2013/14 season.
An early red card put Bath on the back foot but when Finn Russell slotted a 67th-minute penalty, the Saints trailed.
However, for all this team is full of power and skill, it was their resilience and doggedness that proved decisive in the end.
Despite falling behind, there was an air of inevitability about the eventual outcome, and when George Hendy skipped through a host of Bath players to cross the whitewash, the glory was Northampton’s.
Winless Wales
In the worst way possible, 2024 was a record-breaking year for Wales. For the first time since 1937, they have gone a calendar year without a Test win.
Played 11, lost 11. Gulp.
It’s safe to say, then, that Warren Gatland’s return in December 2022 has not had the intended impact.
Wales took the wooden spoon in the 2024 Six Nations and lost to Fiji, Australia and South Africa in the Autumn, with Gatland facing calls to resign or be sacked in the aftermath.
He remains in position, but the problems show no signs of abating.
The golden generation have almost all moved on now and those that have come through have failed to fill their shoes.
The regions are underperforming, too, and so the cycle could yet continue into the new year, while it’s not expected there will be all that much Welsh representation for the 2025 Lions Tour.
Thriving women’s game
In more positive news, the women’s game has gone from strength to strength in 2024. The revamped Premiership Women’s Rugby competition proved a huge success, as increased exposure attracted more eyeballs and better attendances.
Gloucester-Hartpury retained their title with a 36-24 win over Bristol Bears in June in a thrilling final at Sandy Park but the competition is even more fierce this season.
In the ‘Big Game’ at the Allianz Stadium to close out 2024, the world record for attendance at a women’s club match was broken for a fourth consecutive year, highlighting the growing interest.
Harlequins recorded an impressive 42-17 victory over Leicester Tigers in front of 18,055 spectators, up from 16,238 last year.
The arrival of arguably the game’s biggest star Ilona Maher was also a major coup. The American sevens sensation, who won bronze alongside her team-mates at the Paris Olympics, will turn her hand to the 15s game and has chosen the PWR to showcase her skills.
Bristol Bears, fresh off their runners-up finish last season, managed to land her signature and will hope it pays dividends when she makes her debut.
Almost as importantly for the league, Maher brings with her a huge social media following. She’s closing in on five million followers on Instagram and has almost as many on TikTok, platforms that have become vital promotion tools for the sport.
South Africa underline world’s best status
Not that it should have really been in doubt, but 2024 served to further cement South Africa as the best team in the world.
The Springboks might even have the best two teams in the world. Such is the buy-in from players under Rassie Erasmus that the Springboks are able to effectively field entirely different starting XVs to almost equally devastating effect.
After the World Cup triumph in 2023, South Africa won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 and then proved far too strong for their northern hemisphere opponents in the Autumn Nations Series.
First up, Scotland threw the kitchen sink at the world champions at Murrayfield and lost 32-15 before England came up short in similar fashion.
A South African side not at their best then dismantled Wales 45-12 to seal the clean sweep.
Much is made of the physical nature of their game and the ‘Bomb Squad’ that come on in the second half to completely freshen up the pack, but they are truly a side with no weakness and an unmatched winning mentality.
Australian revival
After a spell in the doldrums, signs are encouraging for Australian rugby at last. Under Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies showed glimpses of form in the middle of 2024 and started to put it together properly in November.
An epic win over England at the Allianz Stadium won’t be forgotten in a hurry, before they hammered Wales 52-20 in Cardiff.
A poor performance in Edinburgh against a strong Scotland side led to defeat but the Aussies pushed Ireland mega close to finish out the year.
And they did it all playing a thrilling brand of rugby.
In particular, they have a potential megastar in centre Joseph Sua’ali’I, while full-back Tom Wright was also outstanding. Up front, Angus Bell and Nick Frost also starred and showed the future is bright.
The visit of the Lions next summer might be less one-sided than was expected mere months ago.
Glasgow win URC title the hard way
By no means least in this list, Glasgow Warriors enjoyed a remarkable 2024. And a word for head coach Franco Smith, who has done an unbelievable job to turn the Scottish outfit into one of the most entertaining sides in the world and foster a belief to match.
Such has been the South African’s impact, there have been murmurings that a top international role won’t be far away.
Glasgow finished fourth in the league phase before beating Stormers and then Munster to set up a final against the Bulls in South Africa.
Assignments hardly come tougher and their backs were pushed against the wall when they fell 13-0 down on the stroke of half-time.
However, a try from Scott Cummings right before the break and second-half scores from George Turner and Huw Jones turned the match on its head as the Warriors claimed a 21-16 victory that will live long in the memory.
Stream the Gallagher Premiership and Premiership Women’s Rugby on TNT Sports and discovery+
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