Stock Watch for New Zealand Players in the 2014 Rugby Championship

Another successful Rugby Championship title defence and the faces of the New Zealand squad still shared a look of disappointment upon their 27-25 loss at Ellis Park last Saturday, such is the winning desire of an All Black.

Steve Hansen's side nonetheless come out of the tournament with a long list of positives, however, and we analyse several key members of their competition and how their reputations have been affected over the past two months.

It's of little surprise to see that falling stock is almost, if not entirely, absent as far as New Zealand are concerned, but we'll scrutinise as far as we can in dissecting such a stellar line-up.

1. Julian Savea: Buy, Buy, Buy

There's simply no stopping "The Bus." This Rugby Championship, like the last, was an incredibly successful one for Julian Savea, who managed to double his 2013 try tally and finish as the tournament's top scorer with four to his name.

At 24 years of age, the man is a physical phenomenon, and the tournament was littered with bodies who made the mistake of getting in his way, and for the large part failing to stop him making yardage.

Paul Williams of Rugby World painted a picture of just what a monster the winger has become, continuing to combine his tremendous frame with a pace that simply shouldn't belong to one of his size:

"

If this was the 19th Century we'd all be queueing up and paying 1p to watch Julian Savea. #freakshow #rollup #rollup

— Paul Williams (@thepaulwilliams) October 4, 2014"

If there were notions before that Savea can go on to rival All Black Jonah Lomu as possibly the best New Zealand winger of all time, those comparisons have gone into overdrive following this year's competition.

His stock was already high, but the Hurricanes star is on nothing but an upward slope.

2. Richie McCaw: Grab Shares While They're There

One wouldn't have thought it possible for Richie McCaw's reputation to grow any more in this sport, but as a man accustomed to accomplishing the impossible, such is the very outcome of this Rugby Championship.

Not only did the flanker finish proceedings with a stellar three tries to his name—good enough for joint-second in the scoring ranks—but he also became the most capped All Black of all time, per the national team's official Twitter account:

"

Congratulations to @AllBlacks captain Richard Hugh McCaw on his upcoming milestone #TeamAllBlacks pic.twitter.com/xyEp6CPcgC

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 3, 2014"

After 134 caps, you would think there's to be a slowing down for the veteran, but after taking his sabbatical, McCaw is evidently still at the top of his game.

A breakdown fiend and a menace to carry the ball against, the 33-year-old made a collective 77 successful tackles in this year's Rugby Championship, missing just seven.

3. Aaron Cruden: Risky Stock?

It was all going so well for Aaron Cruden until a delayed flight led to him missing the rescheduled take-off the morning after due to a heavy night of drinking.

Unlike his team-mates, the fly-half chose to prolong his partying and missed the subsequent flight out to Argentina in preparation for their fifth-round fixture, and he was suspended for his side's last two games as a result.

In the wake of this poor decision-making, Cruden was quoted by BBC Sport as saying:

"

I am deeply embarrassed by this lack of judgement and have never been more disappointed in myself. I have not only let myself down but, most importantly, I let my team down. I carry the burden of shame and disappointment and I am deeply apologetic to my team, to my family, and also to the New Zealand public.

"

There's still no reason to be too drastic here, though. Prior to his ban, the 25-year-old was showcasing an extremely proficient partnership with half-back Aaron Smith and will undoubtedly regain the No. 10 jersey outright.

However, personal ruffling such as this must be taken into account, and with the likes of Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade lurking, Cruden can't afford to get too comfortable in the absence of a declining Dan Carter.

4. Malakai Fekitoa: Buy in Bulk

If there's any stock in the New Zealand team that perhaps promises the most bang for your buck right now, it's Malakai Fekitoa's, a player still simmering under the surface enough to provide value.

And that's because the Highlanders maestro displayed in just three starts what a dazzling asset he is, and one who some might argue will grow to become more deserving of the No. 12 jersey than Ma'a Nonu.

Just as he does so frequently in Dunedin, Fekitoa impressed with a sleek splicing of stellar team understanding and individual surges made to look so simple, one's made to wonder why we all can't weave them.

Alongside Conrad Smith, Steve Hansen's new kid on the block looked effortlessly comfortable at inside centre, and one of Fekitoa's most attractive traits is that he's still supremely humble in his duties.

The playmaker has all the means to construct terrifying chances for others, but his ability to create gaps for himself is equally awesome, making him a figure to devote significant attention toward in the build-up to next year's Rugby World Cup.

5. Kieran Read: Steady Riser

Like Savea, Kieran Read's shares are rising at a steady pace, and the No. 8 should be coming into the best rugby years of his life at the age of 28.

Granted, Read managed just the one try at this year's tournament, not quite as devastating as the three registered in 2013, but this was a competition comprising of more substance, albeit less sizzle.

Read didn't lose a ball at the line-out once throughout the contest, twice reaching double-digit tackling numbers and recovering from his concussion troubles earlier this year with relative ease.

Planet Rugby's Ben Coles praises the monolith's ability:

"

Someone contact Kieran Read's parents, so we can find out what he was fed as a child and make more players like him. Unreal again.

— Ben Coles (@bencoles_) September 13, 2014"

His handling remains among some of the best in the world, and if it's a guaranteed, steady stock one's looking to back, jump on Read's coat-tail.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.