With the Tri Nations now complete and the Bledisloe Cup safely back in the cupboard for another year, it's a good time to look back on the All Black's season. There's been some great performances by the boys, and also a couple that were disappointing - but as whole, you'd have to say the year has been a success.

The most pleasing thing about the season has been the demise of the rotation system, which most All Black fans will be glad to see the back of. It's clear that the team has been playing a lot better thanks to not being switched up every week.

The team is playing with a lot of confidence that you can only get when playing alongside the same players every week. It also helps that we don't quite have the depth that we had last year, which means Graham Henry doesn't have the luxury.

The guys look a lot better now, knowing that they don't have to worry about whether or not they're going to be selected.

A great example of this has been Ma'a Nonu, who is going from strength to strength every week. Jerome Kaino, also.

Here's hoping that rotation remains a distant memory...

The other pleasing thing about their season has been the way they came back from back-to-back defeats to South Africa and the Wallabies. They were right up against it, and were facing a lot of undue criticism from the media and the public - but they way they came back to utterly destroy Australia in Auckland showed that the side has a lot of character and courage.

For a team that is in a rebuilding faze after last year's World Cup (and yes, they are rebuilding), coming back like they did shows us that this team is close to being at their best. They still have some things to improve on, but that just means the team is still growing.

Overall, we're very happy with the All Black's season - and the great thing is, we only have to wait until November before we see them in action again.

Best Performance: 39-10 victory over the Wallabies in Auckland. Fantastic kicking game, and we put a lot of pressure on them in their own 22, which paid off. Great to see the All Blacks attacking in the lineout for once.

Worst Performance: 34-19 loss to the Wallabies in Sydney - their worst performance by far. They couldn't hold onto the ball, and let the Wallabies capitalise on their mistakes. But, it must be said - the Wallabies didn't outplay us. We lost it for ourselves, and they just fed off the scraps.

Best Player: Easy - Richie McCaw. He continues to grow as a captain, and the All Blacks look a far better team when he's around. It's scary to think that he's only getting better, too. Well, scary for anyone who doesn't support the All Blacks...

Honourable mention to Mils Muliaina.

Most Disappointing Player: Sitivini Sivivatu - doesn't seem to playing with any great enthusiasm which, for a guy with his talent, just isn't good enough. At times he can be brilliant, but those times have been few and far between this year.

An honourable (or dishonourable...) mention has to go to Sione Luaki, who needs to learn to hold onto the ball.

Most Improved: Ma'a Nonu is benefiting form regular game time, and is starting to prove that he deserves to wear the black jersey. His combination with Conrad Smith has been outstanding, as have his distribution skills, which he has lacked in the past.

Ma'a Nonu - Most Improved Originally uploaded by djbwhizz

Honourable mention goes to Andrew Hore.

Comeback of the Year: Piri Weepu - thank goodness for Andy Ellis's injury, because it's brought Weepu back into the team - exactly where he should have been since the beginning.

Honourable mention goes to Brad Thorn.

So, there you have it - another season done and dusted (until November, at least).

Only six weeks until we start again, and we can't wait.

Graham Henry has announced the return of Chris Masoe to the All Blacks squad, replacing the injured Richie McCaw for the upcoming Tri Nations.

Masoe has been playing club rugby since missing out on the All Blacks, but has been selected ahead of rookies Liam Messam and Tanerau Latimer - both of whom have been playing for the New Zealand Maori's.

Henry has selected Masoe because of his experience at Test level, and felt that it wasn't the right time to bring in any more rookies - especially against the Springboks.

"Chris's experience against South Africa and knowledge of our systems mean he's the right choice." - Henry

The other addition to the squad is lock Kevin O'Neill, who will cover Ali Williams if he cannot take the field on Saturday. However, Henry is confident that Ali will be fit and ready to play in his 50th Test.

With Brad Thorn and Anthony Boric both available, it's hard to see O'Neill playing this weekend.

Strange thing about O'Neill's selection - Henry said he didn't think the time was right to bring in anymore rookies. Yet O'Neill gets the nod ahead of Jason Eaton and Ross Filipo, both of whom have played for the All Blacks, and have far more experience than O'Neill.

Yeah - we can't figure that one out either...

It seems as though Eaton has fallen out of favour with Henry, which is unfortunate as New Zealand needs all the locks it can get right now. Jason Eaton should be in the All Black's, and should have been since the beginning of their campaign.

While McCaw is a huge loss, the All Black's showed against England that they can perform around the ruck without him. We believe the loose forwards should be So'oialo at No. 8, Thomson at blindside, Masoe at openside and Kaino on the bench.

The Springboks are a very physical side, and the All Blacks will need to be at the top of their game if they are to out-muscle them in the forwards. The All Black's best weapon is their speed, which Thomson and Masoe will be able to utilise around the field. Whatever happens this Saturday, the one thing we know for sure is that it will be the All Black's toughest Test so far this year.

Don't miss it.

Well, it now definitely looks as though the All Black's will be without Richie for at least the first four games of the Tri Nations, leaving a huge gap in their loose forwards.

Rodney So'oialo will captain the side in his absence - but the biggest concern is over who will take his place.

Potentially, So'oialo could move back to the flanks with Jerome Kaino returning to number 8, but So'oialo is not a specialist open side - and that could leave us very vulnerable.

If Graham Henry looks to bring in a specialist, his options are limited - Daniel Braid suffered an injury while playing for the New Zealand Maori side, and Chris Masoe (whilst having experience at Test level) has been limited to club rugby for the past few weeks. He may not be conditioned to the step up.

In our minds, Liam Messam should be brought in. While he is relatively inexperienced, he definitely has some great skills. We thought he was unlucky to miss out when the squad was named, but this could be the opening he needs...

Henry will also be looking to bring in someone to cover Ali Williams, who looks set to miss the first Test against South Africa. His options are Jason Eaton (playing well for the Maori's...), Tom Donnelly, and Ross Filipo.

We think Eaton is the man for the job, having experience, and the ability to cover in the loose forwards.

We hope McCaw can recover quickly...he's one of our greatest assets, and will be sorely missed around the ruck.

But, it is a good chance for the other loosey's to step up and show our depth...go to it, lads.