The All Blacks swept the three major awards at last night's New Zealand rugby awards, claiming player, team and coach of the year. It is rarely a surprise to see All Black success in the world of rugby, but this was perhaps an instance where they picked up a few more awards than expected.
That is not to say they did not deserve the awards they received. As a team they were again outstanding in 2014, having lost just one game, while coach Steve Hansen's record grows evermore impressive.
Whether they were the best in each of those categories though is another question.
Kieran Keane certainly makes a good case for Coach of the Year. While his Tasman team did not win the ITM Cup, the job he has done with them is nothing short of remarkable.
It is not that long ago that Tasman finished dead last in the Championship division of the competition. This year they were finalists in the Premiership, knocking over Canterbury in their semifinal.
The team is made up of a core of players who have been with the team over a number of years and have gotten better every year under Keane. Think of the likes of Shane Christie, Tom Marshall, Liam Squire, Joe Wheeler and Tim Perry.
As good a year as Steve Hansen has had, it must be remembered he has some pretty good players to work with. Keane on the other hand has helped his players become pretty good, something which deserves recognition.
In the Team of the Year category, both Taranaki and Manawatu were outstanding in their respective divisions of the ITM Cup. Each won titles and showed themselves to be fantastic teams.
While it has been suggested that Taranaki brought a lot of talent in from outside the region, it was still a mammoth effort to win the ITM Cup, particularly given Canterbury's dominance for so long. Again, take nothing away from the All Blacks, but you have to wonder what else a team like Taranaki would have to do to win the Team of the Year award.
Of the three major awards, the one that will always deservedly go to an All Black is the Player of the Year. Brodie Retallick was the favourite for this one and it was no surprise when his name was read out. He adds this to his IRB World Player of the Year award after a stellar year in the black jersey.
There were a number of other predictable winners.
Aaron Smith won the award for Maori Player of the Year, Taranaki's SetaTamanivalu was the ITM Cup Player of the Year and Glen Jackson won Referee of the Year.
Jerome Kaino marked a successful return to the country by winning the New Zealand Super Rugby Player of the Year, while DJ Forbes and Damian McKenzie illustrated the range of ages on show, winning Sevens Player of the Year and Junior Player of the Year respectively.
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