Unhappy camper: Graham Henry

So, Shane Williams scooped the IRB Player of the Year award ahead of the likes of Dan Carter and, wait for it, Scotland's Mike Blair. Meanwhile, Richie McCaw, who won the award in 2006, wasn't even nominated.

If the suggestions that the quick-footed Williams might not have been a worthy winner ahead of one or two other New Zealand or South Africa forwards were understandable, the judging panel of nine former players was made up of five forwards – John Eales, Francois Pienaar, Raphael Ibanez, Scott Quinnell and Paul Wallace – plus Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Agustin Pichot and Tana Umaga. Graham Henry, not surprisingly, raised an eyebrow in the direction of the judges who had ignored McCaw. "I think Richie's the best player in the world. I guess these things