For the first time since 2004, an All Blacks player is missing from the nominations for World Rugby's Player of the Year award.

The nominations for the 2021 World Rugby Awards have been announced and, while All Blacks coach Ian Foster gets a nod, no members of his or the Black Ferns squad appear alongside him.

Foster, who has guided the All Blacks to Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup triumph, will compete with Black Ferns Sevens and Olympic-gold winning coaches Allan Bunting and Cory Sweeney, as well as Dave Rennie (Australia) and Simon Middleton (England women) for the Coach of the Year gong.

However, none of his squad members appear in the nominations for Player of the Year. The last time this happened was in 2004 when Schalk Burger, Matt Giteau, Serge Betsen, Gordon D'Arcy and Marius Joubert were judged to be the best in the world. There are also no Springboks players in the shortlist, meaning the top two teams don't have a player up for the top gong.

Also snubbed are the Black Ferns - though this is understandable given they have barely played for two years.

Some consolation for XVs fans lies in Will Jordan's nomination for Breakthrough Player of the Year after he became the second-fastest All Black to 15 test tries.

It's the sevens game where New Zealand features heavily in this year's edition of the awards where Bunting and Sweeney's are joined by Scott Curry and Sarah Hirini as nominees for men's and women's Sevens Player of the Year.

Finally, Beauden Barrett's outrageous try-assist for Luke Jacobson during the Rugby Championship has been nominated for Men's Try of the Year.

World Rugby Awards 2021 nominees

World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Yearr
Antoine Dupont (France)
Michael Hooper (Australia)
Maro Itoje (England/British and Irish Lions)
Samu Kerevi (Australia)

World Rugby Women's 15s Player of the Year
Zoe Aldcroft (England)
Caroline Boujard (France)
Laure Sansus (France)
Poppy Cleall (England)