The End of Year Tours 2009

November was an extremely busy month on the international rugby calender as the world watched the might of the southern hemisphere take on the best of the north in Tests across Europe.

We brought you highlights from each and every big match over that period, so you hopefully didn't miss out on any of the action in what was an intriguing month of rugby.

There's been mutterings that the standard of play was not of the highest order, and while that may be true to an extent, it was a fascinating few weeks that produced a few surprise results, and gave teams a fairly good indication of where they are in terms of building towards 2011.

While New Zealand have regained their spot at the top of the world rankings with a great set of results on tour, South Africa had a lousy time and will now have a much needed rest. It was a disapointing time for the Wallabies as they didn't achieve their Grand Slam, but they ended the tour on a high with a nice win over Wales, who themselves played some good rugby at times.

England weren't too impressive as they were struck down by injuries once again, Scotland achieved a historic win over Australia, and Ireland showed why they are Six Nations champions, and why they'll be such a threat again when things kick off early next year. France on the other hand, put in a great performance against the Springboks, but fell to pieces against a rampant All Black side.

Moustaches, Rasta singers, and a suspension or two, November had it all, and you can relive the best bits through this excellent video made by a top RD video contributor. Enjoy, and be sure to check out the Heineken Cup action this weekend, as Round 3 kicks off tonight. If you miss it, we'll get the good stuff up here early next week.


Time: 08:11

Posted at 3:05 pm | 68 comments

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