ODT rugby correspondent Jeff Cheshire reviews the All Blacks' season and give his view on how the players performed.
Ben Smith 9/10: Found his way to the line from just about anywhere. Had the ability to spot gaps in the defence and constantly threatened. Chased kicks hard and did an adequate job filling in at centre too, although he definitely looked more dangerous in the outside backs.
Julian Savea 7.5/10: Devastating with ball in hand and hard to stop one on one. Was under-utilised though and looked better when he was in the game more, especially when he came off his wing and into the line. He has improved immeasurably under the high ball too.
Charles Piutau 6.5/10: Came on well towards the end of the season after he was used on the wing. Always ran strongly and showed some good ball skills, while also making some good tackles.
Cory Jane (No rating): Injured for most of the season, but looked alright after coming back for the end of year tour. His skill set has not diminished and he still looked dangerous running. There is a log-jam in the outside backs now, but do not be surprised if Jane returns as the No. 1 winger in 2014.
Frank Halai (No rating): Only played one game against Japan and did not get too many chances. Looked good carrying the ball, but you cannot read too much into this game.
Rene Ranger (No rating): Another outside back who looked electric, coming off the bench in the series against France. Ran dangerously and was always hard for the defence to put down. Unfortunately other commitments saw him unable to don the black jersey after this.
Ryan Crotty (No rating): Was solid and did not make too many mistakes, but did not cut the opposition up either. Did well with the time he got and made a reasonable start to his test career, although he will want to kick on next year.
Ma'a Nonu 6/10: Had his moments, threw some good balls and at times ran well. However he lacked the consistency of past seasons and has gotten into a habit of kicking too much ball. At times it was good, at others it was unnecessary and simply gave the ball back to the opposition.
Francis Saili 5/10: At times looked alright and made a few good breaks, but is far from a finished product and made a few mistakes including a couple of poor kicks and a few handling errors.
Daniel Carter 7.5/10: When he played he still looked class, kicking the ball well and directing the team around the park. He took the ball to the line well too and ran the backline. Injuries hampered his season though and one must ask how much longer he can keep going like this, particularly given the lack of rugby he will have played in an 18 month stretch prior to the return from his sabbatical later next year.
Aaron Cruden 7/10: Keeps on getting better, took the ball to the line well and put his runners into gaps, while also showing an improved kicking game. Still not quite at the level of Carter, but a very good back-up and would arguably rate as the world's second best No. 10.
Beauden Barrett 6.5/10: Used to cover fullback, wing and first five-eighth and did well in each. Was dangerous running from the outside backs and did a good enough job controlling things when he had to at first five-eighth. Still has a few defensive frailties which need to be sorted out.
Tom Taylor (No rating): Came in as the fourth first five-eighth after a series of injuries and covered well. Had a couple of nice touches and in general kicked well.
Aaron Smith 7/10: Passed well, providing good service for his backline and also kicked well from the base to allow his chasers to compete.
Tawera Kerr-Barlow 5/10: Wasn't bad as such, but did not exactly set the game alight either. Ran well, passed okay and provided good cover for Smith. TJ Perenara might be worth a go next year though.
Richie McCaw 8/10: Perhaps did not stand out quite as much as in the past, but was still very good, particularly on defence where he always made plenty of tackles and his leadership continues to be important to this team.
Sam Cane 7/10: One of the big improvers, tackled well and at times was McCaw-like in his ability at the breakdown, such as in the Dunedin test against the Wallabies where he was outstanding. Linked well on attack too and always ran good support lines.
Liam Messam 8/10: Strong on defence, making plenty of tackles and big ones at that. Has started showing his ball carrying game at this level too, which is only a good thing, while also being a good option at the front of the lineout. Is really starting to fill the role of Jerome Kaino and it will be a good fight for the jersey next year when Kaino returns.
Steven Luatua 6.5/10: Adapted well to test match rugby, tightening up and making a lot of tackles. Ran strongly with ball in hand and was generally good at lineout time.
Luke Whitelock (No rating): Came on in the second half against Japan and did not really get a chance to do anything good or bad.
Victor Vito (No rating): Was dropped after the French series, which seemed a bit harsh as he seemed to be getting through enough work and was aggressive enough in this game.
Matt Todd (No rating): Another who got a sniff this year, but didn't really get too much of a chance.
Sam Whitelock 8/10: Was outstanding this year, mobile around the park and was strong in the tight and carried well. He was good at lineout time too, winning most of his own ball and always competing for the oppositions ball well.
Brodie Retallick 8/10: Formed a strong locking duo with Whitelock. Got through a lot of work, hitting rucks and making tackles, but also began to do more in the open and showed his passing and running skills. Good in the lineout too.
Luke Romano (No rating): Was injured early in the season and did not get much of a chance.
Dominic Bird (No rating): Played against Japan and was not overly prominent, but as with the others who played in it, it is hard to take too much from this game.
Jeremy Thrush 6/10: Came in to the squad to replace Romano and was solid enough. Worked hard around the park and did not do much wrong. Did well at lineout time and was good tied up the ball a handful of times in opposition mauls.
Owen Franks 7/10: Got through his work around the field, made his tackles and fought hard in the tight. The scrum remains a problem point, although Franks generally held up okay.
Charlie Faumuina 7/10: Looked good towards the end of the season, impressing in the Dunedin test and carrying on his good form. Made a lot of tackles and popped up all over the field.
Ben Franks 6/10: Got through his work well, making tackles and getting to rucks but perhaps a little weak at scrum time.
Wyatt Crockett 5.5/10: Another who was good in his general play, but was under pressure a bit at scrum time and gave up a handful of penalties.
Dane Coles 6.5/10: A bit looser than the other two hookers and ran at gaps well, rather than taking contact. Filled the role of hooker adequately and will likely continue on till the next World Cup at least.
Keven Mealamu 6.5/10: Had a bit of trouble with injuries at different stages of the season, but did well when he played. Not quite as prominent in the loose as he has been in previous years, but still got through enough work and didn't do much wrong.
Andrew Hore 6/10: Has most likely played his last game for the All Blacks and was reasonably solid in his final season. A hard worker who was strong at the pick and go and got to rucks.
