The 2021 Rugby PickEm Awards (The 2nd Annual RPA's)

A touch late on the "end of year" publication, but ... oh well. The deliberations were fiery, no stone was left unturned, and the final pieces to this year's awards have come into place. What a year 2021 was .., and where to begin? In the face of a pandemic, the MLR went 99-0 (Commish's favorite stat), Gilly hoisted some hardware, the Pioneers got to compete in Tokyo after a year delay, PR 7's was launched, & the college game returned (even though the political infighting continues) ... How does one cap a big year? The 2nd annual RPA's. No serious analysis involved, just some lighthearted shout outs to the general rugby community. Sit back, enjoy, and dive into the utter absurdity of handing out awards to the Rugby Media Industrial Complex (TM). The Categories and nominees are... Step of the Year: Tadhg Furlong Nate Augsperger Stuart Hogg MLR Mascot of the Year: Woodgy - New England Jacksquatch Koa the Warrior Panther - Utah Warriors Rucky - Seattle Seawolves Scratch - Houston SaberCats MLR Fan of the Year: Broccoli Man (Seattle) The Big Guy (RUNY) The Cohort (SD Legion) MLR Podcast of the Year: W Nation Road To Glory Cat Chronicles Who Is Winning The Rugby Streaming Wars? FLO Rugby Peacock The Rugby Network (TRN) Best Cross Over Podcast of the Year: The sole nominee and winner is .... DNVR Rugby Podcast Rugby's Hardest Worker: Steve Lewis Pat Clifton Commish Killebrew Alex Goff Ryan Kirby (on twitter) Matt McCarthy Brianna Kim Independent Podcast of the Year: Stories Unleashed Podcast - Chez Waihi Rugby on the Rise - Max Dacey Rugby Hive - Dallen Stanford & Robin McDowell Listen to the full podcast to find out who wins. PICKEM!