Ben Smith is the only All Black in the Autumn Team of the Year. Photo / Getty Images
Ben Smith is the only All Black in the Autumn Team of the Year. Photo / Getty Images
After missing out on many of World Rugby's major awards on Monday morning, the All Blacks have suffered another snub of sorts – with only one player deemed good enough to make a United Kingdom media outlet's Team of the Autumn.
The squad of 23 players, selected by the Telegraph, includes two English players and eight Irishmen – with fullback Ben Smith (included on the right wing) the only New Zealander.
Beauden Barrett is the only other Kiwi in the 23, beaten to the No 10 jersey by Ireland's Johnny Sexton – the same player who denied him a third straight World Rugby's Player of the Year title in Monaco.
The All Blacks were dominated in their narrow win over England at Twickenham two weeks ago, followed by a historic defeat to Ireland in Dublin.
Johnny Sexton is a big favourite after the season he's had with Ireland. Photo / Getty Images
Rieko Ioane, one of the leading All Blacks this season and widely regarded as the best left wing on the planet, misses out on selection to Ireland's Jacob Stockdale.
Stockdale scored the only try of the 16-9 victory at Lansdowne Road - Ireland's first win over the All Blacks on home soil.
Smith is one of only two Southern Hemisphere players in the XV; the other being South African loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff.
Wales, who have three players in the team, beat the Wallabies and Springboks in Cardiff.
Irish locks Devon Toner and James Ryan are preferred to Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock, while Ardie Savea - one of the best All Blacks on tour - has been beaten to the No 7 jersey by Welshman Justin Tipuric.
On Monday morning the Irish dominated World Rugby's glitzy awards, becoming the first non-New Zealand team to win the Team of the Year title since 2009.
Joe Schmidt also beat All Blacks coach Steve Hansen for the coveted Coach of the Year gong.
Telegraph's Team of the Autumn: 15. Rob Kearney (Ireland), 14. Ben Smith (New Zealand), 13. Jonathan Davies (Wales), 12. Bundee Aki (Ireland), 11. Jacob Stockdale (Ireland), 10. Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), 9. Ben Youngs (England), 8. Mark Wilson (England), 7. Justin Tipuric (Wales), 6. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland), 5. James Ryan (Ireland), 4. Devin Toner (Ireland), 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), 2. Ken Owens (Wales), 1. Steven Kitshoff (South Africa). Replacements: 16. Guilhem Guirado (France), 17. Ben Moon (England), 18. Kyle Sinckler (England), 19. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), 20. Michael Leitch (Japan), 21. Kieran Marmion (Ireland), 22. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand), 23. Semi Radradra (Fiji)
