...By rule of thumb, a man reaches his physical and athletic prime around the age of 25.
To qualify for the countdown, each player had to be born no earlier than May 13, 1988.
Several key factors were taken in consideration to determine who made the cut: What have they achieved so far? How good are they right now? Where is their career headed? Demand.
30 - Baden Kerr - A metronome with the boot, Kerr is a first-five built out of the old style.
29- Liam Squire - Big, strong, fast and powerful.
28 - Liam Coltman - If Coltman joins Dane Coles in succeeding the Mealamu-Hore era, life will continue as per normal for the All Blacks.
27 -Tevita Li - Li has already made an impact early in his debut season at The Blues. Just out of high school, and barely 19, it isn't unheard for such a youngster to become a star.
26 - Lima Sopoaga: Still early into his career, he has become Mr Reliable for the Highlanders and is a key member of the Wellington Lions squad. Sopoaga is simply a case of wrong place wrong time to be a New Zealand No. 10.
25 - Brad Shields
24 - Joe Moody
23 - Dominic Bird
These three boys in 25 to 23 are big lumps with big potential.
22 - Tim Nanai-Williams
21 - Robbie Robinson
20 - Robbie Fruean
19 - Tom Marshall
18 - Zac Guildford
Size, defense, consistency, under the radar, off-field issues are the reasons why numbers 22 to 18 on the list are currently not in an All Black jersey and, up until now, only one has been.
17 - Luke Whitelock
16 - Ardie Savea
Both Savea and Whitelock were taken away with the All Blacks on tour to the Northern Hemisphere at the end of 2013. Whitelock got playing time against Japan and Les Blues, but Savea was taken away as an apprentice, clearly earmarked for the future.
Once Whitelock and Savea reach their potential, their contrasting styles of play would provide balance in the back row.
15 - Tom Taylor
14 - TJ Perenara
Taylor and Perenara currently sit in the bronze medal position of New Zealand's 9-10 combinations, and they may be there for a while. Their competitors for the throne are young, more experienced and proven game-changers in the black jersey.
Although, it is good to know that if our first-fives start falling apart again we won't have to give an SOS call to Stephen Donald. But keep white baiting Stephen. Just in case.
13 - Francis Saili
12 - Ryan Crotty
Saili and Crotty are the two leading candidates to take over from Ma'a Nonu, but neither of them has the clear edge.
11 - Tawera Kerr-Barlow
10 - Steven Luatua
9 - Charles Piutau
8 - Beauden Barrett
Kerr-Barlow, Luatua, Piutau and Barrett were all momentum changers and made big plays off the bench in the winning of several close test matches.
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7 - Sam Cane
6 - Brodie Retallick
Cane and Retallick may be the two best up and coming forwards in New Zealand rugby.
5 - Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith is the player with the ability to give New Zealand a halfback in the modern era comparable with our SANZAR buddies.
4 - Julian Savea
Julian Savea continues the long All Black tradition of having a brute on the left wing. Look out England, dust off the Mike Catt highlight reel and start taking notes.
3 - Sam Whitelock
Whitelock is a powerful lineout lock, playing like a blindside flanker.
2 - Israel Dagg
Dagg is the complete package. There really isn't any glaring weakness to his game. He is fearless under the high ball, dangerous on the counterattack, and has a massive boot, sending back opposing kicking raids with interest.
1 - Aaron Cruden
With Daniel Carter spending extended periods on the sideline, Cruden is the best first-five eighth in world rugby.
He still looks like he just decided to skip his Year 11 maths class, but he has transformed into a world-class first-five eighth.
The greatest feature of Cruden's game isn't his dancing feet or his vision with the ball in hand, but his heart. Thrust into the All Blacks starting line up in Sydney's 2010 Bledisloe Cup test match, Cruden was underwhelming and felt the wrath of the unforgiving New Zealand public.
Just over twelve months on, injury drama put him back into the spotlight against the same opposition. Except this time it was the World Cup semi final. Putting his poor performance behind him, the young man played a brilliant cameo in the 10 jersey. His running game was dangerous and he even kicked a rare All Black drop goal.
Two seasons removed from World Cup triumph, Cruden has the complete faith of the All Black selectors and supporters. He has won back-to-back Super Rugby titles, shifting the balance of power away from the Canterbury plains and into the North Island. The baton hasn't quite been past onto Cruden yet, but the panic button no longer needs to be pushed every time Dan Carter is unavailable for All Black duty. The future looks bright beyond 2015.
Like his kick from the sideline to win against the Irish in Dublin, Cruden may not get it right the first time, but he has shown he'll damn sure get it right the second.
Stuff
W.McDonald
