Nick Beal

For this writer, Nick Beal's alarming injury at Vicarage Road, right at the death, summed it all up. The departure of the Northampton full-back on a stretcher, splinted and in distress from a broken leg, captured the mood of a long, drawn-out season.

Not that it was a bad one. Far from it. All the anxieties that the World Cup would dilute the Premiership proved groundless. The decision to play through the tournament was the right one. The decision to introduce a points differential (two points for a win up until the end of World Cup, three points thereafter) was also the right one. Of course it was not quite the real thing but attendances were good and the absence of international players gave valuable experience to young players such as Leicester half-backs Andy Goode and James Grindal - in my opinion two of the most promising young players in the country.

It also gave a boost to the cause of West Country rugby as Gloucester seized the moment to announce to the world - well Europe anyway - that they were still a force to be reckoned with. All credit to coach Philippe Saint-Andre. It did not seem the shrewdest move at the time to axe his predecessor, Richard Hill, but the Frenchman certainly delivered at Kingsholm.

Leicester reminded everyone how it was they won their title in 1999 by giving the upstarts from Bath a good hiding. Neil Back, one of the players of the season, scored a hat trick of tries in the decisive match that occasionally threatened to overheat. In the end, and when it really counted, Leicester closed by stealth, marching their way to glory in their usual down-to-earth impressive way. They clinched the title at the Memorial Ground with a hard-earned win over Bristol, extending a club record with their 12th Premiership victory in succession.

Mike Catt

Bath's late charge through the field was invigorating stuff. The Recreation Ground may have a charming backdrop but it is a sodden, strength-sapping, mudheap when winter closes in. For the last two seasons Bath have struggled badly when the weather turns. Only when the grounds harden do they hit their stride. The emergence of Iain Balshaw and Mike Tindall, the midfield thrust and presence of Kevin Maggs and the flourishing of Mike Catt, has made Bath compulsive viewing.

The scrap for the final European places added spice to the closing weeks. Northampton made sure they retrieved something from the ashes of their season by beating Newcastle. Luckily for Saints Johnny Wilkinson was sidelined. This win meant it was winner takes all in the Saracens/Bristol showdown at Vicarage Road. Nine thousand fans witnessed the men in black strut their stuff and although the final scoreline was convincing enough there was just a converted try between the two sides going into the last quarter.

Even so, Saracens, with their high-profile, world-class signings of Thomas Castaignede and Tim Horan, declared their intentions for next season, leaving the rest of us wide-eyed and slightly perpelxed as a relieved Francois Pienaar explained some of the ways in which Saracens can reconcile the joint salaries of Castaignede and Horan (est. £450,000+) while staying within the £1.8 million salary cap.

Wasps relived their 1999 triumph in capturing the Tetley Bitter Cup with a 31-23 victory over Northampton, but down among the down-and-outs, Sale and Harlequins must regroup or face sporting and commercial ruin. Both clubs are under new management. Mark Evans, the new Quins chief executive, and Richard Hill, who will be the backs coach under Zinzan Brooke, are just the sort of men to restore much-needed self-esteem. As for Sale? Miracles can happen, can't they? Other newcomers included a revamped set of laws in mid-season. The sin-bin was already in use in the Premiership but was given new focus, although instead of merely rooting out persistent offenders, it ended up as some kind of time-out on foul play.

Tim Stimpson (l)

On a positive note, who can forget the best try of the domestic season: Rob Thirlby (Saracens v Harlequins), or the best club performance: Bath's 64-16 win at London Irish. Or for that matter the players of the season (in my opinion anyway): Tim Stimpson (Leicester), Iain Balshaw (Bath), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Pat Howard (Leicester), Ben Cohen (Northampton), Mike Catt (Bath), Andy Gomarsall (Bedford), Ian Jones (Gloucester), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Budge Pountney (Northampton), Pat Lam (Northampton), Josh Lewsey (Wasps), Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), Federico Mendez (Northampton), Martin Corry (Leicester) and Joe Worsley (Wasps).

And the promising newcomers (those to look out for during the 2000-01 campaign) : Andrew Sheridan (Bristol), Rob Thirlby (Saracens), Alex Sanderson (Sale), David Flatman (Saracens), Steve Borthwick (Bath), Tom Voyce (Bath). And the two big mysteries: Why did Will Carling accept the captaincy of Harlequins? And wasn't Lomu meant to be playing for Bristol this season? In Wales, meanwhile, hats off to Llanelli coach Gareth Jenkins for bringing dignity to Welsh rugby..

And in Europe. Tackles of the season: Nick Beal's try-saving effort on Llanelli full-back Matt Cardey in the Heineken Cup semi-final; Munster's Ronan O'Gara, who rendered 12,000 raucous Toulouse supporters mute as he swooped in under their noses for a magnificent try in Bordeaux. Which brings us to the quote of the season: "Unbelievable. I'm so bloody proud I could cry. **** the film, I'm going on the lash, then I shall bore everybody stupid with tales of Munster rugby," - the actor Richard Harris is calm and collected as he hears of Munster's victory.

On the international front, a salute to unsung heroe and Italy prop Giancarlo De Carli, try-scoring hero against Scotland, who immediately dropped out of the national side to fulfil a two-year quest to adopt a young orphan from Ukraine. And the international players of the season: Brian O'Driscoll, Peter Stringer (Ireland), Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio (England), Mauro Bergamasco (Italy).

Fabien Pelous

The best tackles? France captain Fabien Pelous on Keith Wood at the Stade de France, Peter Stringer on Philippe Bernat-Salles in the same match. Ouch! And the big questions: Why did Clive Woodward drop Jonny Wilkinson for the World Cup quarter-final? And how could Jerry Guscott sprint 90 yards for a try one day and retire from international rugby through injury the next? The big disappointments: Carling's captaincy at Harlequins, England at Murrayfield, John Leslie's false start as Scotland captain, England's World Cup quarter-final performance against South Africa.

The saddest sight: After 60 internationals and a decade dragging Italy into the Six Nations, Massimo Giovanelli led Italy to victory over Scotland, and sustained a career-ending eye injury. And the best match: France's World Cup win over New Zealand, closely followed by Scotland v England, France v Ireland. Best tries: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand v England), Philippe Bernat-Salles (France v Argentina).