First, some plaudits which may have been missed in the sensational last weekend of a 6 Nations series which had everyone on the edge of the sofa or else hiding behind it.

Ireland have won 5 trophies in the last 5 years, a record a certain other country and many others would give their right arm for and it could have been 6 if not for England’s last minute implosion and and an ice-cool Thomas Ramos. In many ways they were the surprise package of the tournament, although under some pressure from Italy for that accolade, and also England but for all the wrong reasons. Having been caught cold in the Thursday night opener, they grew slowly and with their limited resource are back among the world’s best, having barely missed a heartbeat. Farrell take another bow. The media condemned them as a declining force and have had to eat their words- not for the first time!

Shaun Edwards’ cheeky smile at the end of his Paris interview- how refreshing to hear from someone other than the Head Coach- was matched by his reminder for the watching world that this was his seventh Championship or Grand Slam. Unmatched and likely to remain that way given the heightened competition. Let us not forget that his Wales squad along with France have won 4 grand slams this century. I will never forget my conversation with him when we were both stuck at Toulouse Airport, I on European duty and he deciding his future with French rugby, when he unloaded some of his unique philosophy on the game. I was beyond furious many years ago when I found out that he had been offered a part time role with the England Saxons which he naturally refused. This was England rugby’s loss and remains an indictment of our longterm mismanagement of great available coaching resource.

Mind you, he has had to temper his views on the role of a defence coach given the way that the laws and referees favour the attacking teams. Just make sure your attack can also produce the goods and in France’s case no question, this will remain the abiding memory of the 6N. I have Jalibert, Bielle Biarrey and Thomas Ramos as the three outstanding players of the tournament but the squad itself has to develop it’s resilience which the likes of the All Blacks and Springboks will expose, as did France and England.

Two English coaches winning trophies all round Europe while England’s cabinet is literally empty-discuss.

Other plaudits go to Tommaso Menencello and Tommy Freeman, the latter for showing that he is indeed a world class centre in the making (that performance against Bath last December was no fluke, he just needs the ball in space) so keep him there alongside Atkinson and Ojomoh, who must be in this squad. Whoever gets the shot at No 10, I defer to Mr Barnes on the topic (Stuart not Wayne), must deliver on realising the evident midfield potential and being part of a midfield triangle rather than ploughing his own furrow.

As for Menencello, it is some feat to be so dominant in a side which has always been fighting for recognition, which they now have. They could have won 3 matches quite easily, clearly had a Frascati too many in celebrating the historic win over England and so imploded against Wales. Remarkably they were out of the game by half-time and Wales will take heart from this and their nail-biter against Scotland which they should have won. However controversial, the concentration of resource will consolidate this improvement, whether the broader game will grow alongside it is a challenge for the next 5 years, as it will be in England.

Scotland lit up the tournament and while their inconsistency no doubt infuriates their supporters, as well as themselves and their coach, they can beat anyone on their day as they proved. If only they were in the other side of the draw in Australia next year.

Coming to England, their history is littered with sudden bursts of ‘backs to the wall’ brilliance when the pressure is off. Even the great Pierre Villepreux suggested that they were the better side in Paris. However, as Sir Clive Woodward points out, the pressure moments of every match are all that matters. One senior player who should know better claimed that England were great for 60 minutes against Italy, possibly the comment of the tournament. So what. The last 20 minutes are all that matters, and in the Springbok’s case the last minute!

England’s 4 glaring errors in the last 2 minutes following Freeman’s sensational try (he must have been incandescent) effectively forfeited their right to the match. It was reminiscent of Scotland’s implosion against Australia in 2015 at quarterfinal stage, impossible to forget. This especially after having claimed the kick off through Chessum, who was actually the player of the match and can be the key to an England revival alongside the midfield.

All great sides have off field clarity and stability. For England, they need a team manager or equivalent to handle media and player issues, help with the coaching structures and damage test selection which has been all over the place. It is so easy to fall into that trap, the ultimate kid in a candy shop mentality which is a challenge for England, France and indeed South Africa. Any review will be influenced by the quality of the people doing it , as rightly observed by Eddie Jones and known only too well by Borthwick.

When you look at the stunning news from Bath Rugby yesterday, the recent franchise announcement in the English game and the upcoming Global Nations tournament, to add to this exceptional 6 Nations, the elite game is making a strong pitch for a game-changing moment in time. It is incredibly exciting.

Will this development feed through to the the other 99.5% of the game? Before I add my two pennies to the profusion of views being expressed on that key topic (and take a look at how cricket is implementing this so well right now), I say ‘grand chapeau’ to France for their Championship, achieved with maximum drama and emotion, and applaud every single other nation for their embrace of that similar emotion, from time to time, in their own campaigns.

No amount of spreadsheets or misinformed data can replace emotion or the ability to respond when under pressure. That is the abiding takeaway for this year’s 6 Nations as it is for all sport and long may it remain so.