KEY POINTS:
Steve Deane looks at the next generation of players ready to step into the breech that looms after the post-World Cup exodus takes a swag of players out of the local game
Whether or not they spend the next few months bathing in post World Cup glory, New Zealand's rugby-following public will awake from their summer hibernation faced with an unpleasant reality.
A significant portion of the country's finest rugby talent will be gone, the vast majority of it never to return.
At last count, at least 20 of the country's biggest stars had announced plans to join rucks for bucks overseas.
The list includes the world's best prop, the All Blacks' record try-scorer and both World Cup second five-eighths.
Below that top tier, Auckland will have lost five senior pros from their Super 14 and national championship ranks.
Elsewhere the likes of Marty Holah, Tana Umaga and Rico Gear will have departed the scene.
The NZRU's biggest carrot in the battle to retain its players has long been the prospect of being involved in the campaign for global glory.
But with the four-year World Cup cycle ending, European cash has sucked up our rugby stars like a ravenous black hole.
The question is: will the result be a depressing talent vacuum? Or will it simply mark the start of a brave new era as a new generation of talent steps into the void?
The evidence of the current national championship suggests the latter.
Although many of the veterans and All Black discards have stamped their class on the competition, there has also been an unmistakable ripple of up-and-coming talent making its way to the surface.
Many of the young guns making strides at domestic level now will be in their prime in four years' time when New Zealand hosts Rugby World Cup 2011.
Generation next is already here. But just how good are they?
FULLBACK
CORY JANE
Team: Wellington
Age: 24
Now in his third season with Wellington, Jane is the most dynamic attacking fullback on the domestic scene. Has the knack of making something out of nothing but is also solid defensively. To get a chance at the big time he'll need either Mils Muliaina, Leon MacDonald or both to vacate their posts. Even then he could be thwarted by Isaia Toeva returning to fullback.
2011 Prospects: Modest. A long shot at best to crack the ABs.
Honourable mention: Ben Batger (Hawkes Bay).
WINGS
ZAC GUILDFORD
Team: Hawkes Bay
Age: 18
One of the real child prodigies of the competition, the New Zealand U19 winger notched five tries in the round robin phase, many of which owed plenty to his blazing speed. He may be far from the finished article but, at 18, he has plenty of time to develop. The first step would be a call-up to the Hurricanes next season.
2011 Prospects: Medium. Possible star of the future but too soon to tell.
FETU'U VAINIKOLO
Team: Northland
Age: 22
No TV commentator has yet to get through a Northland match without reminding all and sundry that Vainikolo scored 37 - YES 37 - tries at club level this season. Ignoring that irrelevance, Vainikolo has showed pace and power out wide, a nose for the line and a solid workrate. But will playing in an outpost be held against him?
2011 Prospects: Good. Sure to star for Tonga if the New Zealand system doesn't pick him up.
Honourable mention: Lelia Masaga (Counties Manukau), Paul Perez (Taranaki)
CENTRES
ANTHONY TUITAVAKE
Team: North Harbour
Age: 25
The oldest of this line-up, Tuitavake was pretty much the lone bright spot for North Harbour as they struggled in the early rounds. Has excellent pace, great evasion skills and hits hard. Has also shown he has what it takes at Super level but is on the small side for a midfielder.
2011 Prospects: Poor. Has already been overlooked at a time when there is an apparent centre crisis.
Honourable mention: Johny Leota (Manawatu), Benson Stanley (Auckland).
2ND FIVE EIGHTS
TAMATI ELLISON
Team: Wellington
Age: 24
A career that looked to be heading towards utility man mediocrity received a significant boost this season when Ellison was handed the Wellington captaincy and with it the No 12 shirt for good. He responded superbly, indicating his best position is as a creative midfielder as opposed to a reigned-in first five-eighths.
2011 Prospects: Medium. With Aaron Mauger and Luke McAlister both shooting through, the door will be open. Whether it's Ellison who walks through it could depend on next year's Super 14.
Honourable mention: Hamish Gard (Canterbury).
1ST FIVE-EIGHTS
STEPHEN BRETT
Team: Canterbury
Age: 21
Unquestionably the outstanding talent of the emerging crop, Brett took his game to new levels during the current campaign. Always a devastating ball runner, his dramatically improved vision and tactical kicking have taken him a huge step closer to being the complete player.
2011 Prospects: Excellent. Will be Daniel Carter's understudy sooner rather than later. Can also play second five-eighths if Nick Evans blocks his progress.
Honourable mention: Stephen Donald (Waikato), Matt Berquist (Hawkes Bay), Jack McPhee (North Harbour).
HALFBACKS
TANIELA MOA
Team: Auckland
Age: 22
Inherited his number one halfback status with Auckland when Steve Devine suffered a career-ending head knock in round one and Moa made every post a winner. A good passer and a muscular presence around the rucks, he also possesses a cunning array of flicks and tricks that suit Auckland's game to a tee.
2011 Prospects: Good. A bit of a free spirit, he might not fit the All Black mould. Tonga keep knocking on his door, though, and one day he'll probably say yes.
Honourable mention: Alby Mathewson (Wellington).
No 8
LIAM MESSAM
Team: Waikato
Age: 23
Closing in on 50 games for Waikato despite his youth, Messam's time in an All Blacks shirt must come sooner rather than later. But loose forward is the one area where there doesn't appear to be much movement among the senior All Blacks, with Richie McCaw, Jerry Collins, Rodney So'oialo and Chris Masoe all staying put for now.
2011 prospects Good. Age should be on his side. At 27 he'll be in his prime.
Honourable mention: Jerome Kaino (Auckland).
FLANKERS
KIERAN READ
Team: Canterbury
Age: 21
Another supreme young talent who rolled off the Canterbury production line last year looking like he was born to wear red and black - and one day probably just black. Seems to have all the skills and there's no doubt he's at the right finishing school. Probably ranks behind only Brett as the most exciting prospect in the competition.
2011 prospects: Very good. More talent than Todd Blackadder and Reuben Thorne put together, so really can't miss.
SERGE LILO
eam: Wellington
Age: 22
Wellington's considerable contribution to the All Blacks' loose forward ranks could well be boosted even more if Lilo continues his steady progression. A classic openside in the ball snaffling mould, Lilo is quick, athletic and tough. Should soon push Daniel Braid for the somewhat poisoned chalice of being ranked the country's second-best openside.
2011 prospects: Fair. Much will depend on how McCaw's body handles the rigours of the next few years.
Honourable mention: Api Naikatini (Wellington)
LOCKS
ISAAC ROSS
Team: Canterbury
Age: 22
The son of five-match (no tests) All Black Jock Ross, Isaac Ross nonetheless believes he inherited most of his sporting ability from his mother. Quite what the old man makes of that is anyone's guess, but at least Ross Jnr is happy to credit his 1.99m stature to dear old Dad, who stood at an impressive 2.03m and played about a million games for Mid Canterbury. An athletic lock with excellent skills, Ross should soon shake off his bench warmer status at the southern superpower.
2011 prospects: Fair. Even with Chris Jack departing the scene and Keith Robinson's body unlikely to hold up for another four years, Ross will find himself well down the pecking order following the return from injury of Jason Eaton and James Ryan.
KURTIS HAIU
Team: Auckland
Age: 23
Not exactly your beanpole-style lock but tall enough at 1.95m and makes up for any height deficiency with an impressive vertical leap. Rated at Auckland for his defensive workrate, Haiu is also a fine ball runner with a knack for finding the tryline.
2011 prospects: Minimal. Will always find it hard to shake off the Tweener tag, falling in the gap between a genuine lock and a genuine loose forward.
Honourable mention: Michael Paterson (Canterbury), Jay Williams (Auckland).
HOOKER
TOM McCARTNEY
Team: Auckland
Age: 22
Good enough to be the first choice hooker at two unions in the one season, the Howick College and Pakuranga club product has had a strange but impressive season. Originally sent to North Harbour on loan, he displaced incumbent James Hinchco before being recalled to Auckland following Derren Witcombe's retirement. Spent a week on the bench learning the lay of the land before promptly being promoted to first choice. Perhaps the only player in Ranfurly Shield history to have defended and challenged successfully in the same season without having lost in between.
2011 prospects: Good. Keven Mealamu and Anton Oliver will both be long gone and there aren't too many other candidates around. Much will depend on how he handles the step up to Super 14 level. Might have to go outside the Blues to get around Mealamu in the short term.
Honourable mention: Dane Coles (Wellington).
PROPS
JAMIE MACKINTOSH
Team: Southland
Age: 22
If you're going to be tagged "The Next Carl Hayman" it probably helps to be 1.92m tall and a whopping 129kg. Sporting a healthy mullet and a touch of the wild man eye twinkle doesn't hurt either. Already has massive expectations to fulfil but, in the quest to be the nation's next colossal Southern man prop, he at least has the advantage of actually being a Southern man. Not that being from Taranaki ever hindered Hayman in that regard.
2011 prospects: Good. Is better now than Hayman was at 22. If he improves at the same rate he could be anything.
JOHN AFOA
Team: Auckland
Age: 23
If you like your props with more than a hint of ball-playing ability then Afoa is your man. All too often the sight of a No 3 shirt in a backline spells doom for a slick backline move, but not if the man in the that shirt is Afoa. Has a great array of skills for a prop, including a fairly effective show-and-go, but is also no slouch at set piece time, anchoring the Auckland scrum with great effect.
2011 prospects: Good. Should be just entering his prime.
Honourable mention: Ben Afeaki (North Harbour).
And the awards go to ...
While it might be going too far to describe this year's national championship as an unqualified success, it has at least been a dramatic improvement on last year's tournament.
On the negative side, fears that a lopsided draw - where not all teams played one another in the round robin phase - would prove less than ideal, were spot on.
The dominant Auckland team not playing Wellington, for example, meant they went too long without being seriously tested.
At the other end of the scale, Counties Manukau's horror draw meant they were done and dusted by week five.
The lack of genuine upsets was also a concern, with the gap between the haves and the have-nots seemingly undiminished.
But there were a couple of significant shifts on the domestic rugby landscape.
Otago's decline despite being one of the Super 14 powerbases was dramatic (if they beat Canterbury tomorrow, then consider this sentence formally retracted), while Hawkes Bay's rise was equally spectacular.
The Magpies' journey into the top four was certainly the feel-good story of the tournament, and is hopefully an indication of how the competition could develop if all the unions are able to increase their revenue to the point where their wage bills are close to the salary cap ceiling.
It will certainly be interesting to see how many of the Magpies squad are rewarded with Super 14 contracts.
For now, a truly even competition remains a bit of a pipe dream.
With the round robin phase over, it's time to give a wee pat on the backside to those who covered themselves in glory - and to give those who didn't a slightly condescending little pat on the head.
To that end, the Herald has named its All-Star XV and is also handing out imaginary gongs for season highlights.
After a series of high-powered, kebab-fuelled meetings, our selection panel (okay, it's a panel of one) settled on an all-star team that contained five Aucklanders, four Cantabrians and one player each from Wellington, Manawatu, Northland, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki and Southland.
The biggest challenge facing the panel was resisting the temptation to simply pick the entire undefeated Auckland team and trundle off to the pub.
Sadly, however, there were some individual efforts it was impossible to ignore.
Manawatu centre Johnny Leota announced his presence in the first match of the season, slicing Waikato to ribbons and producing some top-notch offloads. Leota quickly proved that performance was no fluke, playing a leading role in the Turbos' first two competition victories.
Northland's Fetu'u Vainikolo was another who deserved a mention. For those who missed it the 400 times it was mentioned on Sky, he scored 37 tries in club rugby this season. Fancy that. And five for Northland.
Of the All Blacks discards, Piri Weepu started superbly but was overtaken by Ma'a Nonu, who revolutionised wing play by seldom going anywhere near the touchline, preferring instead to take the ball at first receiver and run straight over whoever was in front of him. In an even more surprising turn of events, he even held onto the ball once or twice while doing this.
As well as the standout individuals, there was no shortage of big team efforts and sparkling passages of play.
Here's the best of the best:
Team of the year
Auckland - undefeated in 10 games, snaring an astonishing 48 of 50 available competition points. Often played with flair but reined it in when they needed to, most notably when defeating Hawkes Bay in Napier and Canterbury in Christchurch. Had the luxury of some seriously stacked playing resources but utilised them perfectly.
Runner-up: Hawkes Bay. The Cinderella Story, The Boys From The Bush Come Good, etc, etc.
Coach of the year
Pat Lam, Auckland - sure, he may have been dealt the strongest hand but you've still got to play itright. Did a fine job rotating his squad to keep his players fresh, happy and focused. Tactics were usually spot on and the team implemented strategy superbly.
Runner-up: Peter Russell, Hawkes Bay - the decision not to even interview Russell for the Hurricanes assistant coaching position now looks a touch foolish. Happens to the best of us, that.
Player of the year
John Afoa, Auckland - these awards traditionally go to the blokes who score the tries, kick the goals and come up with the big plays. But it's about time the chaps who do the dirty work had their day in the sun. Afoa's strike rate of one career try in over 50 games for Auckland might be one of the lowest in the competition, possibly in Auckland history, but it's not due to a lack of trying.
Despite his lack of points production, Afoa is the rock upon which Auckland's success has been built. A truly worthy winner.
Runner-up: Stephen Brett, Canterbury - a close second. Probably would have got the nod if the Cantabs hadn't coughed up the Shield.
Team try of the year
Wellington v Taranaki, Round 9 - the Lions' seventh and final try in their 52-12 trouncing of Taranaki was an absolute gem. Faifili Levave ended up flopping over the line but not before anextravagant array of no-look passes and backhand flicks had decimated Taranaki's left-side defence. A classic example of how not to play the percentages. Great stuff.
Individual try of the year
Francisco Bosche, Manawatu v Waikato, Rd 1 - there was no shortage of contenders for this award, with David Smith's stunner against Tasman worthy of a mention. But Bosche as good as settled the affair when he came off the bench and scored with his first touch of the season by chasing a kick and then taking the ball away from the Waikato defenders with an audacious, perfectly placed header.
Tackle of the year
Sione Lauaki on Afoa - after finding himself in acres of space out wide, the Auckland prop only needed to run 70 metres to double his try tally. Astonishingly, he looked like doing it. But he hadn't counted on Lauaki catching a breather 40 metres behind the play and the Human Wrecking Ball sat Afoa on his backside with a monster hit. Benson Stanley's rib tickler on Rico Gear also deserves a mention.
Media highs
Senior Herald sports writer David Leggat claiming to have invented the phrase Human Wrecking Ball to describe Lauaki. In literary terms, this is the equivalent of Dr Evil's Dad claiming to have invented the question mark. Priceless.
Media lows
Sky's commentary team mentioning that Vainikolo scored 37 tries in club rugby every time the camera went anywhere near him. Couldn'tthey have mentioned the fact that he came from a village in Tonga called Ha'alalo and moved to Auckland when he was 14? Or that he is no relation to former Kiwis international Lesley? Or that his hero is Tana Umaga? The next time I hear the number 37, I'm going to call Ian Smith and vent my spleen.
ALL STAR TEAM
15 Brent Ward (Auckland)
14 Ma'a Nonu (Wellington)
13 Johny Leota (Manawatu)
12 Sam Tuitupou (Auckland)
11 Fetu'u Vainikolo (Northland)
10 Stephen Brett (Canterbury)
9 Danny Lee (Hawkes Bay)
8 Brad Mika (Auckland)
7 Scott Waldrom (Taranaki)
6 Kieran Read (Canterbury)
5 Kevin O'Neil (Canterbury)
4 Kurtis Haiu (Auckland)
3 John Afoa (Auckland)
2 Corey Flynn (Canterbury)
1 Jamie Mackintosh (Southland)
