2023 was always going to be a big year in Rugby but no one could've picked how massive it would be for news.
World Cup triumphs, incredible upset wins and several off-field moves shook up the game for years to come.
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With this in mind, Rugby.com.au crunches the numbers and breaks down the top six stories from 2023.
PART ONE 12-7: Sevens, Crusaders triumphs as World Cup kicks off
6. Hooper’s new challenge
Wallabies legend Michael Hooper ended 2023 looking for a new challenge as he begins his transition to the Sevens.
Hooper departed the Waratahs with a quarter-final exit and another Matt Burke Cup, cementing his legacy as one of the best to ever play Super Rugby
Following this, he was remarkably dumped from the World Cup squad alongside fellow established stars Quade Cooper, Len Ikitau and Bernard Foley.
The flanker had already indicated his desire for a challenge and the axing arguably accelerated the process as he linked up with the men’s side.
He will link with a Sevens side heading into the new year with confidence after their second-place finish in Cape Town.
5. A fortnight to forget
The Wallabies’ World Cup officially came off the rails in a brutal two-week period in October with defeats to Fiji and Wales.
The Fijians stunned the Wallabies with their physical brand of Rugby and the Aussies never really recovered. They pushed late for a comeback but were left despondent when the Fijians held on for the seven-point lead.
This was followed by the biggest loss in World Cup history for the Australians as Wales came out and thumped Eddie Jones’ side.
The toil of the campaign was shown on the players’ faces as they were left in tears after the siren. Even with the defeats, they nearly pulled off the great escape when Portugal defeated Fiji, however, they fell short on tie-breakers.
4. The standout Australian performance
It took until October but the Wallaroos delivered the most complete performance by an Australian side when they upset France in WXV 1 in New Zealand.
The French were the red-hot favourites after their defeat of the hosts, revenge for last year’s World Cup semi-final.
However, the Wallaroos came out and delivered a near-perfect gameplan to shut them down, with Eva Karpani bulldozing her way to a hat-trick.
The prop’s performance was the best by an Aussie in 2023 and announced the Wallaroos to the rest of the world.
The Women's Sevens Final win in Cape Town was a close second, surviving a red card to World Rugby Player of the Year Nominee Maddison Levi to hold on for the win over France.
3. A raft of off-field changes
Rugby made a wave of headlines beyond the field in what would be a wild period off the field.
It started with the departure of CEO Andy Marinos in May, just four months before the World Cup. Former Wallabies Phil Waugh took over and has stepped up to the challenge since.
Then there was the removal of Hamish McLennan as Chairman after the World Cup, sensationally given a vote of no confidence by six state unions.
The board voted in Waugh’s ex-teammate Daniel Herbert in the position with the duo out to steady the ship alongside new Head of High Performance Peter Horne.
2. Back to Back
South Africa made history at Rugby World Cup 2023, becoming the first Men’s team to go back-to-back with their thrilling win over New Zealand.
The strength of the Springboks' win can not be understated given their path to the Final. They recovered from a tough loss to Ireland before defeating hosts France, England and the All Blacks in incredibly tight contests.
It cements Siya Kolisi as an icon of South African Rugby, whilst Handre Pollard’s mid-tournament return will become a defining memory of World Cup folklore.
In any other year, this would be an easy number one.
But this wasn’t any other year…
1. Eddie Jones
It had to be, right?
Nothing brought out more attention, opinions and a wide range of emotions than Eddie Jones’ rollercoaster tenure as head coach.
Jones’ appointment in January was met with shock and overall excitement as ‘Eddie Everywhere’ took on all comers and preached the ‘Smash and Grab’ mantra.
What followed was statistically the worst World Cup campaign in history, missing the group stages as part of a 20% win rate.
Explosive press conferences, uppercut warnings and constant Japanese denial led to Jones stepping down and returning to the land of the rising sun.
It put the conclusion to one of the wilder periods in Wallabies and Australian Rugby history.
