Who was the best All Black in 2011?

The Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks dominate the list of nominees for the 2011 New Zealand Rugby Awards to be held in Auckland on December 1.

The victorious All Blacks team, individual stars of the Rugby World Cup 2011 squad and winning coach Graham Henry dominate six of the 13 award categories.

The Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year will be hotly contested between All Black stars Ma’a Nonu  and Jerome Kaino, both finalists in the IRB’s Player of the Year award, and captain Richie McCaw.

The RWC-winning All Blacks will face the biggest challenge for the Team of the Year Award from Super Rugby finalists the Crusaders, who played their entire season away from home after the devastation of the Canterbury earthquakes. Other nominees are NPC champions Canterbury and the World Sevens Series champions the New Zealand sevens team.

Graham Henry, who last week announced he was standing down as All Blacks coach after directing the side to their RWC victory and winning the IRB Coach of the Year title, is a nominee for the New Zealand Rugby Coach of the Year Award. He is joined by Sevens maestro Gordon Tietjens and four-time national provincial championship winning Canterbury coach Rob Penney.

Three members of the 2011 All Blacks also feature in the Super Rugby Player of the Year. Blues captain and hooker Keven Mealamu, Highlanders loose forward Adam Thomson and Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett are all in contention.

All Blacks flyhalf Aaron Cruden is up against Canterbury loose forward Nasi Manu and Taranaki openside flank Scott Waldrom for NPC Player of the Year.

All Blacks general Piri Weepu faces stiff competition for the treasured Tom French Memorial Maori Player of the Year Award, from his All Blacks teammates Israel Dagg and Cory Jane.

The success of New Zealand’s national teams will also make the task of identifying the best Age Grade and Sevens Players of the Year a tough assignment.

Under 20 World Champions Brad Shields and Sam Cane will be up against New Zealand Schools captain Ardie Savea for Age Grade Player of the Year.

Three members of the New Zealand side that won the Sevens World Series are in contention for the Richard Crawshaw Memorial Sevens Player of the Year Award. The three are powerful Waikato wing Tim Mikkelson, impressive young try scorer Declan O’Donnell and the team’s playmaker Tomasi Cama.

The Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year trophy will again honour the contribution volunteers make to community rugby.  The 2011 nominees are Marty Martin (King Country), Phil Monk (NZ Rugby Museum) and Andy MacDonald (Canterbury).

The Heartland Championship Player of the Year nominees are the Wanganui pair of lock Jon Smyth and centre and captain Steelie Koro, and Mid Canterbury captain and prop Jason Rickards, who also captained the New Zealand Heartland XV.

The nominees for the Referee of the Year Award are RWC 2011 referee Bryce Lawrence, New Zealand’s top female referee Nicky Inwood and Glen Jackson, who only two years ago hung up his playing boots.

Nominees

NZRU Age Grade Player of the Year

Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty & New Zealand U20)
Ardie Savea (Wellington & New Zealand Schools)
Brad Shields (Wellington & New Zealand U20)

Richard Crawshaw Memorial Sevens Player of the Year

Tomasi Cama (Manawatu)
Tim Mikkelson (Waikato)
Declan O’Donnell (Waikato)

Referee of the Year Award

Nicky Inwood
Glen Jackson
Bryce Lawrence

NZRU Women’s Player of the Year

Nominees to be announced closer to the awards

Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year

Andy MacDonald (Canterbury)
Marty Martin (King Country)
Phil Monk (New Zealand Rugby Museum)

Super Player of the Year

Wyatt Crockett (Crusaders)
Keven Mealamu (Blues)
Adam Thomson (Highlanders)

Tom French Memorial Maori Player of the Year

Israel Dagg, Ngati Kahungunu  (Hawkes Bay, Crusaders, All Blacks)
Cory Jane, Ngati Kahungunu  (Wellington, Hurricanes, All Blacks)
Piri Weepu, Whakatohea (Wellington, Hurricanes, All Blacks)

Heartland Championship Player of the Year

Steelie Koro (Wanganui)
Jason Rickards (Mid Canterbury)
Jon Smyth (Wanganui)

NPC Player of the Year

Aaron Cruden (Manawatu)
Nasi Manu (Canterbury)
Scott Waldrom (Taranaki)

Team of the Year

All Blacks
Canterbury
Crusaders
New Zealand Sevens

New Zealand Rugby Coach of the Year

Graham Henry (All Blacks)
Rob Penney  (Canterbury)
Gordon Tietjens (New Zealand Sevens)

Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year

Jerome Kaino (Auckland, Blues, All Blacks)
Richie McCaw (Canterbury, Crusaders, All Blacks)
Ma’a Nonu (Wellington, Hurricanes, All Blacks)