It's been a hell of a year, one that looks likely to prove to be a significant moment in the trajectory of professional rugby union.
This was the year the sport was brought to a halt worldwide, 12 months in which the world champions were unable to play a single game and the testimony of former players brought the existential threat of brain injuries and litigation to the door of those charged with governing the game.
It began with full houses and talk of new beginnings and finished with matches being played in front of empty stadiums when they can be played at all.
Contract talks are on hold and union officials stare down the black holes in their balance sheets as they cross their fingers for the arrival of a vaccine.
Financial pressures hurried those officials into getting into bed with private equity and while the investment from CVC Capital Partners was timely, the pound of flesh has yet to be realised.
While individuals spoke bravely of their own experiences of racism, the sport produced an underwhelming response to the global movement of athlete empowerment and the limp-wristed handling of the recent scandal involving Argentina captain Pablo Matera summed up a sport that doesn't convince when it talks about tackling the big issues.
In Ireland, it was a year in which the provincial imbalance between Leinster and the rest threatened to topple the delicate ecosystem but the overdue emergence of local talent means Munster finish the year with fresh hope.
The men's national team endured a middling campaign while testing out new players, while the women are stuck in limbo with their club game suspended for most of the year and their international ambitions subject to World Rugby organising a 2021 World Cup qualifier tournament.
All the while, the sport made its contribution to the front-line cause during the pandemic.
Which brings us to our first award.
Person of the Year
Ireland prop Linda Djougang didn't get to play many matches for club, province or country this year because of the coronavirus, but when she did lace up her boots she was one of the leading players in the team.
However, it was the nurse's work in the Covid-19 ward at Tallaght Hospital and her powerful testimony about her experiences of racism in this country that put her above and beyond the competition for this gong.
Arguably the most compelling Irish rugby player of her generation, Djougang faces real-life challenges on a daily basis and is routinely the subject of online abuse because of the colour of her skin.
While the majority of her male rugby counterparts were content turning their Instagram pages black for a day, and didn't 'take the knee' when afforded the opportunity, she routinely put her head above the parapet for the causes of equality.
A superb ambassador for her team and her sport, she's also an excellent player and one hopes she can concentrate on that in 2021 after all she's been through.
Worldwide Player of the Year
With southern hemisphere rugby curtailed, it's been English rugby's year - and no one else encapsulates the formidable strength of Eddie Jones's team like their totemic second-row Maro Itoje. The Saracens lock is almost the perfect rugby player; hewn from granite with incredible flexibility and silken skills. He's a leader, a nuisance and has earned that Richie McCaw-like immunity from referees that so infuriates opponents.
At 26, he will only get better and if the Lions do get to South Africa next year he's the obvious captain, while his off-field advocacy shows he's capable of using his status for good.
Irish Men's Player of the Year
It sums up Andy Farrell's frustrating first year that the man who shone so brightly for Leinster was only available for two internationals, but such was Garry Ringrose's luck in 2020.
Between injuries, the driven centre made it to a higher plane this year and if he can just put an unbroken run of games together for his country he could transform them as an attacking force.
Ringrose is growing as a leader, he's becoming more vocal and more confident in defence. The complete centre.
Irish Women's Player of the Year
Beibhinn Parsons' Six Nations was cut short by her Leaving Cert, but in the end neither was completed.
Women’s Player of the Year: Beibhinn Parsons. Photo: Sportsfile
That didn't stop the Ballinasloe winger from showing signs that she will be a fixture on the Irish wing for some time to come.
Her electric pace and ability to beat opponents in one-on-one positions means she is already a fans' favourite and it's just a pity we didn't get to see more of her in action.
Match of the Year
Perhaps we're being parochial, maybe it's just that it came on the back of six months off, but the night Munster ran Leinster close on August 22 was a restorative experience.
After so long training alone or in bubbles, the cream of the Irish crop produced a game of real intensity in front of an empty Aviva Stadium that breathed life into the PRO14's truncated end-game and showed there was some life for rugby after Covid.
Sure, Clermont's win in Bristol last weekend and Munster's comeback at the Stade Marcel Michelin merit a mention, while most of what happened in Super Rugby Aotearoa was box-office, but given the context this was a superb game of ball.
Rising Star
Ryan Baird would be an international at this stage had he not had his autumn cut short by injury, but the lock will surely make the step up during the Six Nations and would appear to have the tools to emulate his provincial colleague Caelan Doris by becoming a fixture in the team. Honourable mention for Gavin Coombes, Ben Healy and the excellent Craig Casey at Munster.
He gets around, but Bernard Jackman never fails to provide even-handed insight whether it's on TV, radio or podcast. With experience as a professional player and coach, the approachable Carlow man's accessible and fair delivery helps fans understand an increasingly complicated game.
Pundit of the Year: Bernard Jackman. Photo: Sportsfile
Podcast of the Year
It was the year rugby produced more podcasts than matches and interestingly more and more current players are trying their hands at the medium.
That's led to a familiar news cycle where that player says something interesting, it gets picked up by the news media and causes a stir, they then distance themselves from their comments, and plea "banter".
Given we're an interested party, we won't hand out a gong for this one but we'll give praise to all the listeners who keep this new industry growing.
Perhaps even Conor Murray, who dismissed the medium so cruelly this month, will get on board with his own show.
"Ah, it's a podcast," the Ireland scrum-half said. "There's so much talk in podcasts these days, do you know what I mean? It's just lads chatting."
Cause Célèbre of the Year
John Cooney's name rang out across the internet every time Andy Farrell named a team that didn't include him as a starter. The Ulster scrum-half steamed into 2020 in outrageous form for the province, but couldn't loosen Conor Murray's grip on the jersey. A slip when coming out of lockdown saw him drop out of favour entirely.
Still, there'll be a clamour for his inclusion for the Six Nations on the back of his recent form. Being the subject of a popular cause doesn't always work out when it comes to international selection.
Faux Pas of the Year
World Rugby's elections took place at a time when there was no sport to watch and the battle between the old guard's Bill Beaumont and upstart Agustin Pichot filled plenty of column inches.
However, it was the name of Francis Kean on the proposed new World Rugby Executive Council that caused most embarrassment for the game's governing body.
The Fijian administrator and former government minister was convicted of manslaughter, has a record of homphobia and has been criticised by Amnesty International.
His name was removed from the ballot once the damned media got a sniff of the story and dug into Kean's record.
It didn't paint a very good picture of the way the organisation does its business, even if Beaumont kept his grip on power in the end.
Get Well Soon
How nice would it be if Joey Carbery arose from the bottom line of Munster's weekly injury bulletin to become a live option in Irish rugby again.
Now 25, the out-half's only game in 2020 was against Ulster away last January and the province have been vague about his prospects of a return.
At Leinster, some positive news on Tadhg Furlong's calf would be nice. Like Carbery, the Ireland prop has been buried deep on the weekly updates with no sign of a return. Both men have the capacity to transform their teams.
2021 predictions
Six Nations winners: England (Ireland third). Heineken Champions Cup: Racing 92. Best Irish finish: Leinster in the final. Guinness PRO14 winners: Leinster. Irish Lions (if it happens): Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Garry Ringrose, Caelan Doris, Dan Leavy, Conor Murray, Jacob Stockdale.
