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Over the three parts of this article, I will give a brief review of each Six Nations side in terms of their performance and their prospects as we head into the crucial final 18 months before the next World Cup.
I will conclude with my choice of team of the tournament and few other awards.
Ireland
Sometimes in sport, fairy tales do happen and by giving arguably the finest northern hemisphere player in the professional era a winning send-off in Paris, Ireland have every reason to be on a high.
Winning in Paris is never easy, especially when the French are on a hiding to nothing, but Ireland had laid the platform for winning the tournament with their demolition job on Wales a few weeks earlier. Never have I seen a side with as much talent as Wales so bereft of ideas and so clearly out-coached.
Ireland’s performance in defeat to England at Twickenham was almost as impressive. By all accounts the atmosphere at the famous old ground was the best it’s been in years as the men in green stood toe-to-toe with the home side, narrowly coming off second best.
They were deserved winners of the Six Nations trophy and it is hard to begrudge Brian O’Driscoll that kind of send-off.
Looking forward, they clearly have a huge hole to fill at 13 and with Gordon D’Arcy not the force he used to be, they have big questions in midfield.
Upfront, they are in fantastic shape. Cian Healy is back to his best and Mike Ross is one of the more underrated players on the circuit.
Paul O’Connell is the kind of guy you would love to follow into battle, and beanpole Devin Toner has proved there is more to his game than the line-out.
When fit, Ireland have enough class in the back row to fill two international sides. Sean O’Brien was not missed as much as expected and with Stephen Ferris making his comeback from injury, this is an area of real strength. The headache for Joe Schmidt will be finding the right combination.
At halfback and out wide they are also well set to push forward to the World Cup with confidence – Tommy Bowe and Simon Zebo will be pushing for a starting slot, perhaps Andrew Trimble can move into the 13 shirt?
Jonny Sexton continues to flourish on the international stage at 10, and Conor Murray is the perfect foil at 9.
All-in-all, they can be confident they can build on this tournament and be a threat at the World Cup.
England
But for a couple of unlucky bounces in Round 1 we could be here dissecting an English grand slam, but it was not to be.
Stuart Lancaster will, however, be very pleased (even if he doesn’t show it) his side were that close to taking home the silverware, despite such inexperience in the backline.
England’s strength of character has been shown on numerous occasions now, and the fact they managed to come from behind against Ireland and hold on for victory will have given them much needed confidence, after failing to do so against both New Zealand and France in recent months.
Perhaps the biggest boon for English fans will be the creativity shown in the back division, something that has been sorely lacking for a number of seasons.
Their forward pack, particularly the back five, were tremendous throughout and will only improve as they gain more experience.
The main area of concern for Stuart Lancaster will be the wings. Jonny ‘Sideways’ May clearly has talent but needs to learn how to use his elusiveness creatively on the international circuit. Jack Nowell is very young and likely has a big future, but does he have the cutting edge to create fear in the opposition at this level? Not yet.
That said, the return from injury of Marland Yarde and Christian Wade, along with the development of Anthony Watson and perhaps a return to form of Chris Ashton shows there are options – and with Mike Brown establishing himself as truly world class at 15, improvements will be made.
Elsewhere, when Alex Corbisiero, Geoff Parling, Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi – all Lions – return from injury, England will have the depth that should see them as serious contenders for the World Cup.
Their tour to New Zealand in June will be a great yardstick by which to measure how far they have come and how much more work is required in developing potential into a unit that compete with – and beat – the best.
France
Stereotypes are become so for a reason. One of the most apt is the unpredictability of the French. Sure, they missed their talismanic captain Thierry Dusautoir, but that alone can’t explain the performances against Scotland and Wales. Yet somehow, they were competing for the title on the final day.
Had they taken home the silverware it would have been a real travesty. Philippe Saint-André knows a lot more about rugby than I do, but his selections are often baffling, to say the least.
Morgan Parra – a world class 9 – isn’t even in the squad. Louis Picamoles, clearly an 8, was picked at 6. Combine those with the uncertainty over number 10 and confusion reigns supreme.
They have as much talent as the two sides which finished above them on the table, but somehow it felt like luck they beat England at home, and they did not deserve to be as close as they were to Ireland in Paris.
In a different year they could have finished fourth or fifth.
Looking forward with France is very tough. On paper they could field a side to scare the best in the world – especially when the bench contains the likes of Mathieu Bastareaud – but will that side ever be selected? And if it is, will they play as well as the sum of the parts suggest? The eternal questions for French rugby.
That said, as they showed in New Zealand in 2011, they should never be ruled out, and it will be the journey to 2015 will be fun for impartial fans.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.