Six Nations glory, new era for Wales women and domestic austerity - 2021 in Welsh rugby
- Published
Wales' men have won two of the past three Six Nations tournaments
Ending as it started behind closed doors and with Covid taking hold, 2021 has been an eventful year for Welsh rugby on and off the field.
The men's national team clinched a Six Nations title in empty stadiums and endured a bruising autumn when fans returned, while the women's game made significant progress on the pitch and in the boardroom.
But for domestic rugby in Wales, problems continue to intensify after another austere 12 months.
BBC Sport Wales looks back at an incident-packed year in Welsh rugby.
Six Nations glory for Pivac's men
The year started with modest expectations for Wales' men after they lost seven of their 10 matches under new head coach Wayne Pivac in 2020.
But the mood took an unexpected turn for the better when Wales started the 2021 Six Nations with wins against Ireland and Scotland, helped by opposition red cards in each game.
A record triumph over England and a thrashing of Italy in Rome then gave Wales the chance to play for a Grand Slam in their final match in Paris.
The visitors held a 10-point advantage with five minutes remaining, only for France to snatch a dramatic 32-30 victory with Brice Dulin's try in the 82nd minute.
Distraught to see a Grand Slam slip through their grasp in such gut-wrenching fashion, Wales could at least console themselves by being crowned Six Nations champions when Scotland won in Paris the following weekend.
Wales coach Wayne Pivac (left) with his first Six Nations title and captain Alun Wyn Jones with his fifth
The rest of the year was a mixed bag. During the summer when most first-choice players were injured or away with the British and Irish Lions in South Africa, an experimental Wales side beat Canada before drawing and losing against Argentina.
Even as the Lions were beaten by the Springboks, Alun Wyn Jones still summoned his otherworldly strength to bend the series to his will.
Jones suffered what seemed like a tour-ending shoulder dislocation on 26 June but the Wales captain recovered after only three weeks to lead the Lions in all three Tests.
It was a year for memorable injury comebacks, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe and flanker Ellis Jenkins making their first Wales appearances for two and three years respectively. And their returns were highlights of a testing autumn for Wales.
Severely depleted by injury and other unavailability, Wales were crushed by New Zealand in front of the Principality Stadium's first capacity crowd since February 2020.
Pivac's men were much improved as they were narrowly beaten by South Africa and, although they were unconvincing in victory over Fiji, a last-gasp win against Australia saw Wales end the year on a high.
A new era for Wales' women
Wales' women have lagged behind many of their rivals for years but, in November, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) went some way to correcting that by offering some of its female internationals their first professional contracts.
Up to 10 of their 15-a-side players will be awarded full-time deals, while there will be retainer contracts for 15 more individuals with the finer details confirmed in early 2022.
There had long been calls for the WRU to do more to support the women's game, and the case for professional contracts was strengthened when Wales' global sevens star Jasmine Joyce revealed she would have to return to work in December when her funding ran out.
Introducing full-time contracts saw the WRU follow in the footsteps of the Rugby Football Union in England, which awarded some of its 15-a-side female players first professional deals in 2016.
Elsewhere, France are semi-professional, 10 Scotland players have contracts, Ireland get per diems - a set amount of money every day when they play - while Italy get their expenses paid.
Highlights: Wales 23-5 Japan
Four days after the contract announcement, Wales earned a first win for two years as they beat Japan.
They followed that with victory against South Africa and, although Wales lost their final autumn Test to Canada, the nature of their performance against the world's third best team offered hope for the future.
Austerity bites for Wales' regions
While Welsh international rugby faces its own challenges, the outlook for the country's domestic teams is much bleaker.
Already dwarfed by most Irish, English and French sides in terms of resources, Wales' four regions were put under immense financial strain by last year's first wave of Covid-19.
There was some respite with the return of fans in 2021 - or at least for part of it - but the top tier of Welsh domestic rugby still faces a battle merely to survive.
In 2020, the WRU negotiated a £20m loan to help Wales' four professional teams avoid financial collapse during the pandemic after the expected £26m funding for the regions dropped to £3m for the 2020-21 season, due to the impact of Covid-19.
However, while the loan was negotiated by the WRU on behalf of the regions, it is the regions who were made responsible for the repayments.
In a letter to the WRU's member clubs at the end of December, chief executive Steve Phillips pledged to negotiate more favourable terms on the loan and was hopeful of "concluding that issue by the end of January 2022".
The WRU continues to face criticism for various reasons, from Phillips' handling of that loan to the organisation's overall running of rugby in Wales.
Chairman Rob Butcher said he needed a "thick skin" after some questioned his place at the head of a professional sport's governing body, considering his previous experience of rugby administration had been limited to the community game.
There also remains a tension between the WRU and its professional teams.
At the start of the United Rugby Championship season in September, Cardiff chief executive Richard Holland and Dragons chairman David Buttress played down the need for "talking about the finances".
But Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack was a little more forthcoming when he said: "Will we continue to arm-wrestle with the WRU? Yes we will, that will happen in perpetuity in some shape or form."
That relationship was not helped by the news in November that Amanda Blanc would step down from her role as chair of the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and the board of the WRU.
The 2019 appointment of Blanc, the chief executive of financial firm Aviva, was seen as a fillip for the PRB, which is responsible for running professional rugby in Wales on behalf of the WRU and each of the four regions.
And while the regions expressed their sadness, still no reason has been given for Blanc's departure, with the WRU conspicuous by its silence.
Cardiff's 'misfits' offer light amid the gloom
Cardiff's makeshift side, featuring cult hero Dan Fish (left), earned many new fans with their Champions Cup efforts
As the regions remain hamstrung by limited funding and the politics of Welsh rugby, logic dictates that their struggles continue on the field.
Harsh economic realities were evident as Ireland's provinces again dominated last season's Pro14, while results for the Welsh sides have not greatly improved since South African teams were introduced for this year's first edition of the United Rugby Championship.
Europe was not much better in 2021. Scarlets, the only Welsh team to reach the last 16 of the 2020-21 Champions Cup, were hammered 57-14 at home by Sale.
Covid-19 has severely disrupted Welsh efforts in this season's European competitions, with matches postponed or cancelled and teams forced to spend long and frustrating spells self-isolating.
But out of that chaos came one of the year's uplifting stories.
Cardiff and Scarlets were caught up in South Africa in November when the country was put on the UK's red list because of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Players and staff had to quarantine in hotels upon their return to the UK, though six members of the Cardiff travelling party were forced to do so in Cape Town after positive tests had kept them in South Africa.
With their entire first-team squad unavailable, Scarlets forfeited their Champions Cup opener against Bristol and saw their second match against Bordeaux postponed due to Covid-related travel restrictions.
Cardiff's first two fixtures were expected to follow suit but, with the odds overwhelmingly stacked against them, they not only fielded teams but produced two performances of exceptional endeavour and soul.
For their opening two matches against title holders Toulouse and English champions Harlequins, Cardiff were without 42 players due to quarantine, injury and suspension.
In their absence, a makeshift side - comprised of semi-professionals, academy players and a handful of Wales internationals who had not travelled to South Africa - gave their illustrious opponents a scare and contributed to two thrilling encounters with their fearless approach.
Although they lost both matches, Cardiff's hastily put-together band of "misfits" were a credit to themselves and a source of great pride for their club, their supporters and rugby union itself.