Back-to-back Super Rugby Champions the Chiefs, NPC champions Canterbury and the Rugby Championship-winning All Blacks dominate this year’s annual celebration of the best of New Zealand.

The 2013 awards will be held in Auckland on Thursday, December 5.

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The Chiefs’ second Super Rugby title on the trot sees the team, coach Dave Rennie and co-captain Liam Messam well represented in the nominations.

Canterbury, easily the most successful provincial side of the century, is in line for Team of the Year, while the sharp form all season of scrumhalf Andy Ellis gains him a nod for NPC Player of the Year.

The All Blacks’ clean sweep of their June Tests against France, followed up by victory again in the Rugby Championship sees nominations for coach Steve Hansen, and the team, while star wing turned centre Ben Smith and dynamic loose forwards Kieran Read and Liam Messam are in line for this year’s Kelvin R Tremain Player of the Year Award.

In a repeat of last year’s nomination line-up for Coach of the Year, All Blacks Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens will again compete with Hansen and Rennie for the accolade after masterminding another Sevens World Series win and the team’s World Cup triumph in Moscow.

The All Blacks Sevens are also up for Team of the Year.

For the first time in the Awards’ history, fans will get a say in deciding some of the best rugby action from 2013. An online poll is now open for fans to select the Fans Try of the Year. Voting closes November 25 with the winning try announced at the awards ceremony.

Awards nominations

Age Grade Player of the Year
Akira Ioane (Auckland Grammar)
Damian McKenzie (Christ’s College)
Ardie Savea (Wellington)

Charles Monro Volunteer of the Year
Wayne Dowd (Auckland)
Rob Jones (Manawatu)
Mario Martinengo (North Harbour)

Referee of the Year
Nicky Inwood
Glen Jackson
Chris Pollock

Heartland Championship Player of the Year
Dwayne Burrows
Jon Dampney
Andrew Scarlett

Women’s Sevens Player of the Year
Kelly Brazier
Kayla McAlister
Portia Woodman

Richard Crawshaw Memorial Sevens Player of the Year
Kurt Baker
Gillies Kaka
Tim Mikkelson

NPC Player of the Year
Marty Banks
Andy Ellis
Victor Vito

Super Rugby Player of the Year
Liam Messam
Ben Smith
Sam Whitelock

Tom French Memorial Maori Player of the Year
Tanerau Latimer
Liam Messam
Aaron Smith

Women’s Player of the Year
Kelly Brazier
Casey Robertson
Selica Winiata

Coach of the Year
Steven Hansen
Dave Rennie
Gordon Tietjens

Team of the Year
All Blacks
All Blacks Sevens
Canterbury
Chiefs

Kelvin R Tremain Player of the Year
Liam Messam
Kieran Read
Ben Smith

NZ Try of the year nominations

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