The World Champions for the most part could pat themselves on the back and claim job well done, winning 12 from 14 and retaining all major titles that were on offer.

Not only did they win The Investec Rugby Championship and defend the Bledisloe Cup, but recently the All Blacks celebrated five years at the top of the world rankings.

Yet despite some mighty mental powers and impressive depth, tactically the team isn’t able to thrash sides as many of the predecessors have in the past.

A win is a win yes, but has the proverbial gab closed but gone unnoticed due to the continuation of results?

The good, bad and ugly of the year…

Good:

Frightfully difficult to beat, and all but impossible to better mentally, the World Champions remain the benchmark, winning despite the fact they haven’t been firing on all cylinders. Only time will tell but this could be a brilliant ruse – was the side told they were to remain away from fourth and fifth gear the year before a World Cup?

Bad:

While the ability of the side to continue to operate at high level regardless of changes is admirable, the lack of overall combinations is beginning to take a toll, notably at first five-eighth. Again, the depth is commendable, but the backline is having their general changed with some regularity.

Ugly:

The reality is that the All Blacks cannot stare down sides waiting for them to inevitably crack, often in the 79th minute, forever. Their record is fine, and the aura is still in place due to rival coach’s mention of it. But there hasn’t been an intimidating swagger from the outfit for some time.

Best players: Led by the peerless Richie McCaw, New Zealand boasts the most experienced core of players of any side in history. They can call upon four active Test centurions and supporting these are a cast of World XV class players like Kieran Read, Brodie Retallick, Julian Savea and Aaron Smith. At their best half of the team would stroll into most punters international selections.

Tactical overview: Difficult to pick, which is either a sneaky bit of planning from the All Blacks coaches staff (keeping some things in check) or the fact that the team is struggling to rule key battlegrounds during a contest. However this has resulted in no obvious weaknesses, although their breakdown became a target as the year wore on. Interestingly the side kicked the ball less this year than in 2013.

Biggest strength: Remains the ability to shift the ball, passing and running the ball far beyond any other side they played against this season. This is notable, for it isn’t just willpower that is winning the team matches, it is the wear down routine they play throughout the match, shifting their opposition in a manner which defines their position as the planet’s best.

Potential work-on: Needs to be further depth at halfback, for without Aaron Smith one wonders how this team would navigate through the dark corridors of a World Cup knockout campaign. New Zealand armchair selectors’ mention Andy Ellis and Jimmy Cowan, but one suspects this isn’t a route favoured by the coaching team when thinking long term.

Next season? Doesn’t get much bigger for the All Blacks as they approach the World Cup, striving to become the first Test nation in history to go back-to-back, while it would for the first time since 1987 potentially that New Zealand would hold more Webb Ellis trophies than any other.

Super Rugby is first up and this will be notable for the Kiwis, as the high level of derby attrition will be watched, as will the management of Test players, currently on a strict period of 12-weeks leave.

What this does mean is that a few players will have chance to pick up the attention of the wise men, with Steve Hansen suggesting that perhaps “six spots” were up for grabs in the All Blacks 31-man squad.