Rugby League review

The Kiwis lift the World Cup for the first time

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It was the Year of the Rhinos - which was hardly unexpected - and the Year of the Kiwis - which certainly was.

Check out skysports.com's highs and lows of 2008 and share your thoughts on the rugby league year using the feedback box below...

Team of the Season - Leeds Rhinos

Parochially, it has to be Leeds Rhinos who retained their Super League crown and once again inflicted last-night misery on St Helens. The Rhinos have taken over from near neighbours Bradford as the play-off kings, timing their run to the Grand Final perfectly and learning to peak on the night night. Ultimately though, it has to be New Zealand. The Kiwis shocked the world by winning the World Cup against all the odds on Australian soil. They are not the best team in the world - just as the Rhinos are probably not the best team in England - but they peaked on the night when it mattered. And the whingeing of the Aussies had to be heard to be enjoyed...

Player of the Season - Rob Burrow

England's performance at the World Cup has somewhat overshadowed some superb displays in the Super League, with James Roby, Jamie Peacock, James Graham, Ade Gardner and Leon Pryce all outstanding, but skysports.com's Player of the Year is Beep Beep himself, Rob Burrow. The Leeds scrum-half was outstanding in helping the Rhinos to a second successive Grand Final success and was one of the few Englishmen to leave Australia in November with his reputation not just intact but enhanced. We all know that at 5ft5in Burrow is going to be targeted by attackers and he relies on teammates to help him in defence, but there is no one more dynamic from dummy half and he keeps defences on the back foot just with the threat of his darting runs. Also turning into an impressive organiser of the attacking line.

Most Improved Player - James Graham

Deservedly won the Man of Steel award and came from seemingly nowhere to do it. Most props mature in their late 20s and play their best rugby at around 30, so it is incredible to think what the 23-year-old Graham could achieve in the game.

Moment of the Season - New Zealand's World Cup victory

The stunning final win is closely followed by Ricky Stuart's torrent of abuse aimed at World Cup final referee Ashley Klein in the hotel lobby the day after the final. A poor example for a game which prides itself on its sportsmanship, but at least Ricky had the good grace to resign.

Lowlight - England's World Cup campaign

They arrived with genuine hopes of finally ending Australia's dominance but flopped, losing on successive weekends to the Kiwis, the Kangaroos and then the Kiwis again. And it wasn't just the defeats, it was the way they played. Stars in the Super League, plenty of them seemed to completely forget the basics when they went out in an England shirt - rabbits in headlights springs to mind. To make it even more galling for England fans, New Zealand - whitewashed by Great Britain just 12 months before - actually did manage to end more than 30 years of Australian hegemony. That could have been us...

Best Performance - Ireland's 34 Samoa 16

This was the game which finally set the World Cup alight. A true shock and a deserved victory by a side which wrung the maximum out of their combined talents. If only England could have managed something similar...

Year to remember - Brian McClennan

There is no tougher job than taking over at the helm of a team that has just been crowned champions but McClennan managed to retain the title - and with just a touch more dash and style than Leeds managed 12 months earlier. Some exciting-looking signings suggest 2009 could be another big year for the Rhinos.

Year to forget - Tony Smith

Obviously for all the reasons above, but also St Helens. They won the Challenge Cup and the Minor Premiership for the second successive year and cruised to the Grand Final - only to once again flop on the big night.

Gone but not forgotten

Trent Barrett The Australian stand-off may not have won any trophies during his two seasons with the Warriors, but his contribution has been truly outstanding. The sometimes (okay, often) fickle Wigan fans took to him almost immediately and his presence on the pitch guaranteed a touch of class whenever the ball came his way. The only disappointment is that the English game still has to import stars of his brightness, but he heads back to Cronulla having lit up our game.

Daniel Anderson Anderson took the game to new levels during his three years at St Helens and created a team that combined teak-tough aggression with swashbuckling style. They won plenty of trophies and were always the team that neutrals most wanted to see on Sky Sports. The only disappointment is that he leaves having lost back-to-back Grand Finals, but two games really shouldn't take the gloss off Anderson's achievements.

Controversy - Licensing system

It was never going to be easy for the clubs that missed out and the omission of Widnes - and the inclusion of Celtic Crusaders - was highly controversial. Here is a club steeped in rugby league history from the game's heartland, well-supported and with a new stadium to boot, being told that they will have to wait at least three years to have a shot at getting back into the big time. Meanwhile, Crusaders get the nod - and who knows what sort of crowds they are going to attract in south Wales, particularly with union booming and if they struggle in their first season, as they surely will? The game wants to expand but is this the right way to go about it? And shouldn't rugby league be looking out for its own rather than spreading the word in a region that in the past has proved pretty well immune to the wonders of the 13-man code?