ENGLAND

THEY talked boldly of pulling away from their rivals this autumn in their attempt to turn world rugby into a two-horse race with the All Blacks, and three wins out of three duly allowed them to cement their spot at No2 in the world rankings. But despite the convincing victory margins, the performances never quite matched the rhetoric. Argentina made them look ordinary for long periods and, truth be told, it needed every break to go their way against Australia to maintain their mastery over the Wallabies before the inevitable win over Samoa.

Still, Owen Farrell had a good rest and other long-term key men caught up on their beauty sleep at various points, and if every great team is built on a great defence they are in fine shape – only three tries conceded in the entire autumn campaign.

Results: Argentina (W) 20-8, Australia (W) 30-6, Samoa (W) 48-14

Marks out of ten: 7

WALES

THERE is always a threat of staleness with a long-serving coaching team so Warren Gatland’s attempt to freshen up the environment is to change their style away from the one which won three Grand Slams in eight years.

There were shafts of light but also patches of shade during an up-and-down autumn. There were encouraging international breakthroughs from the likes of Josh Navidi and Hadleigh Parkes – man of the match on his debut in the win over South Africa – but familiar outcomes against the other southern hemisphere sides and a fortunate escape against Georgia for the second team. They travel towards the Six Nations in a state of flux but with some senior Lions to return, they should not be written off.

Results: Australia (L) 21-29, Georgia (W) 13-6, New Zealand (L) 18-33, South Africa (W) 24-22

Marks out of ten: 6

SCOTLAND

THE TEAM of the autumn. Scotland won two and came breathlessly close to beating the world champions New Zealand in a campaign of energy, ambition and, yes, joy, as they rose to an all-time high of No5 in the world rankings.

Hats off to Gregor Townsend whose arrival as coach with the Glasgow template has freed the shackles and delivered a side who can shred teams in attack. Prop James Bhatti was just one of those to shine in the riotous court of King Gregor. Murrayfield on bad days can be a mausoleum but with the Scots scoring 16 tries in three games it was rocking. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off the same stunts away from home in the Six Nations.

Results: Samoa (W) 44-38, New Zealand (L) 17-22 Australia (W) 53-24

Marks out of ten: 8

IRELAND

A RECORD win over the Springboks and some semblance of revenge for their World Cup exit against the Pumas made for a successful autumn.

Having snubbed Simon Zero after the announcement of his impending move abroad, coach Joe Schmidt has found an exciting new wing talent in Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale, although Ireland’s two contrasting tiers of talent was exposed when what was effectively a second team struggled past Fiji.

No doubt though, if they can keep their key men – half-backs Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton – fit for the Six Nations, Ireland will be in the shake-up for the title.

Results: South Africa (W) 38-3, Fiji (W) 23-20, Argentina (W) 28-19

Marks out of ten: 7

FRANCE

ONE significant victory – controversially winning the right to stage the 2023 World Cup – but otherwise it was an unremitting diet of despair across the Channel.

A winless autumn, which included the embarrassment of a draw in Paris against Japan which would have been a defeat had Yu Tamura landed a straightforward late conversion, stretches their barren run to six games without a victory.

Veteran coach Guy Noves, handicapped by a system which places club above country, has compounded the problem with erratic selection and an out-of-date game plan. His future will be decided by FFR president Bernard Laporte later this month.

Results: New Zealand (L) 18-38, South Africa (L) 17-18, Japan (D) 23-23

Marks out of ten: 2

ITALY

SOME improved results in the Pro14 from the Italian sides raised hopes of a spike in performance from the Azzurri, but alas not. The sick man of Europe coughs and splutters on, finishing 2017 with just one win from 11 Tests. That came against Fiji in Sicily last month, but there was little else to raise spirits in a three-match tour around their own country.

Coach Conor O’Shea was rendered near-speechless after the heavy defeat to South Africa in Padova which concluded matters – not a position the garrulous former Harlequin regularly finds himself in.

Results: Italy (W) 19-10 Fiji, Argentina (L) 15-31, South Africa (L) 6-35

Marks out of ten: 3.