Gregor Paul analyses the state of the Northern Hemisphere's big guns as they start to slip into World Cup mode.
We mock the Six Nations for presenting annual drudgery without ever stopping to consider why it is that New Zealanders have always thought theirs is the only way to play rugby. After all, England did all right in 2003, didn't they?
ALL BLACKS
Best World Cup finish: Winners, 1987
Last 5 results:
Beat South Africa 29-22, Johannesburg
Beat Australia 20-10, Christchurch
Beat Australia 49-28, Melbourne
Beat South Africa 31-17, Wellington
Beat South Africa 32-12, Auckland
AUSTRALIA
Best World Cup finish: Winners, 1991, 1999
Last 5 results:
Beat South Africa 41-39, Bloemfontein
Lost to South Africa 31-44, Pretoria
Lost to All Blacks 10-20, Christchurch
Lost to All Blacks 28-49, Melbourne
Beat South Africa 30-13, Brisbane
SOUTH AFRICA
Best World Cup finish: Winners, 1995, 2007
Last 5 results:
Lost to Australia 39-41, Bloemfontein
Beat Australia 44-31,Pretoria
Lost to New Zealand 22-29, Johannesburg
Lost to Australia, 13-30, Brisbane
Lost to New Zealand, 17-31, Wellington
WALES
Best World Cup finish: 3rd (1987)
Last 5 results:
Lost to New Zealand 10-29, Hamilton
Lost to New Zealand 9-42, Dunedin
Lost to South Africa 34-31, Cardiff
Beat Italy 33-10, Cardiff
Lost to Ireland 12-27, Dublin
Wales have a backline loaded with direct runners, plus a few bruising, ball-carrying forwards, which makes them a threat.
They also have a Kiwi coach in Warren Gatland who wants to play with width and enterprise, something they have been doing for several years. In James Hook they have a gifted back and Lee Byrne is a fullback with pace and counter-attack ability. Ryan Jones has grown into the captaincy, and the overall skill of the squad is good.
They are a side who could take some big steps in the next 12 months if they can find more presence at the collision and improve their conditioning.
ENGLAND
Best World Cup finish: Winner (2003)
Last 5 results:
Lost to Maori 28-35, Napier
Beat Australia 21-20, Sydney
Lost to Australia 17-27, Perth
Lost to France 10-12, Paris
Drew with Scotland 15-15, Edinburgh
Optimism is growing in England following their June victory over Australia. It was a game they won on the back of their scrummaging power and maybe more surprisingly, on their ability to move the ball into space.
Coach Martin Johnson was not one to run round things but he is building his side in a different mould and encouraging flair and expression. Skill levels are not where they need to be for England to consistently win with tempo rugby but the more they persevere with expansive play, the better they will become.
There are some useful footballers in the squad such as James Haskell, Chris Ashton and Delon Armitage - yet for all their belief they are on the verge of something special, it's hard to be too excited when they still rate transported Kiwi Riki Flutey a messiah.
IRELAND
Best World Cup finish: Quarter-finals (1987, 1991, 1995, 2003)
Last 5 results:
Lost to Australia 15-22, Brisbane
Lost to Maori 28-31, Rotorua
Lost to New Zealand 28-66, New Plymouth
Lost to Scotland 20-23, Dublin
Beat Wales 27-12, Dublin
For 30 minutes against the All Blacks in New Plymouth, the Irish showed they can create and then exploit space.
They have a mobile front-row, especially prop Tony Buckley. Johnny Sexton gives the side more of a running threat than Ronan O'Gara and for all the talk Brian O'Driscoll is a spent force, he and Gordon D'Arcy still carve up many a midfield. As they showed in New Plymouth there is also some pace and vision in the back three and Declan Kidney is an astute and experienced coach who will no doubt have analysed the way the All Blacks have played and come up with some neat ideas of his own.
Like the Welsh, they have an element of creativity but still don't seem to have enough clout in their pack to be a genuine force.
Like the All Blacks they will feel the unkind weight of history, being perennial under-achievers on the World Cup stage.
FRANCE
Best World Cup finish: Runners-up (1987, 1999)
Last 5 results:
Lost to Argentina 13-41, Buenos Aires
Lost to South Africa 17-42, Cape Town
Beat England 12-10, Paris
Beat Italy 46-20, Paris
Beat Wales 26-20, Cardiff
The Six Nations champions are never an easy side to analyse. They won a Grand Slam this year and were magnificent in defeating South Africa last November.
That was the performance that will have had the All Blacks concerned as the French mixed brutal forward power, aerial supremacy and flair in a way the best teams of the 1970s and 1980s did.
Yet, two weeks later in Marseilles, they couldn't reproduce the same intensity in the forwards and made life awfully easy for the All Blacks. Still, the French have always been mercurial. The important thing to note is that under coach Marc Lievremont they have been more hot than cold and they are also returning to some of their traditional patterns.
They played more on instinct during the Six Nations and were encouraged to play what they saw.
The law interpretations suit them more than any other Six Nations side and if they are brave and are prepared to be expansive, then they will be a difficult side to beat.
ITALY
Best World Cup finish: Never advanced from pool play
Last 5 results:
Lost to South Africa 11-55, East London
Lost to South Africa 13-29, Witbank
Lost to Wales 10-33, Cardiff
Lost to France 20-46, Paris
Beat Scotland 16-12, Rome
The Italians have become a desperately difficult side to like under coach Nick Mallett, but he is probably right to have installed such a dour and limited game-plan built around the power of the forwards and a kicking first five-eighth. The Italians are happiest in the tight exchanges and are not natural risk-takers. They play to break sides down, to take the pace out of the game and hope to exert enough pressure to win penalties.
It's not pretty but it has been effective with Italy beating Scotland and going within a whisker of a famous win against England. It's a plan that could leave them horribly exposed, however, when the laws of the game are actually enforced.
* Gregor Paul is chief rugby writer for the Herald on Sunday.
