It was an autumn where England and Australia emerged as works in progress ahead of the World Cup © Getty Images

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After 32 Tests, the autumn series has come to an end. Monday Maul assesses the fortunes of the 10 key protagonists.

England

Before England's first match against New Zealand, Stuart Lancaster's main goal was to find their best XV with the World Cup looming ever closer. After ending their November programme with a win over Australia, the head coach insisted that their preparations are right on track.

It was an autumn that promised much but there are still more questions than answers. The front three were consistently at a high standard while the locks Courtney Lawes and Dave Attwood linked well. Ben Morgan is now the first choice No.8 while there is healthy competition at blindside. But while the forwards were magnificent, the backs remain a concern and England must settle on combinations sooner rather than later.

Team of November

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• 15. Rob Kearney (Ireland)
• 14. Teddy Thomas (France)
• 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
• 12. Matt Toomua (Australia)
• 11. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
• 10. Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
• 9. Conor Murray (Ireland)
• 1. Joe Marler (England)
• 2. Agustin Creevy (Argentina)
• 3. Owen Franks (New Zealand)
• 4. Jonny Gray (Scotland)
• 5. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)
• 6. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)
• 7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
• 8. Kieran Read (New Zealand)

The best centre partnership is still up in the air and it is unlikely that the current back three of Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Mike Brown will be the starting triumvirate against Fiji come September 18. Post-match, Lancaster was asked what extra ingredient he would like to add to this England side. The answer was succinct: "Manu". In his absence, indecision reigned - at inside centre it started with Kyle Eastmond, then came Owen Farrell's chance and it finished with Billy Twelvetrees, and despite Brad Barritt's heroic showing against Australia on Saturday, he could find himself exiled again if Tuilagi is back and firing for their match against Wales on February 6.

France

Oh they are a frustrating bunch. After impressive wins over Fiji and Australia, with Teddy Thomas and Scott Spedding finding the transition from domestic to international rugby alarmingly easy, Thomas goes and misses an analysis session, is dropped by Philippe Saint-André and France flounder against Argentina. They are a team who perennially take a step forward only to keep their other foot locked to prevent their own progression. There have been positives for France: Thomas was magnificent on the wing while Spedding offered an assured presence at fullback. Camille Lopez was solid at fly-half with Racing Metro's Alexandre Dumoulin looking accomplished in the centres. But they are still unpredictable and have the potential to implode. Argentina's Nicolás Sánchez was sublime in their victory while they took their drop-goal opportunities with ease. It was simple rugby, but France floundered. The old adage of the French being unpredictable will roll on into the Six Nations.

Ireland

Ireland were the northern hemisphere side who came out of the November series with the most credit. The win over South Africa was an exercise in discipline and game management. Their levels of physicality surprised the Springboks while they played a limited but effective brand of rugby with not one attempted offload. The stats from that match saw Paul O'Connell put in a stoic 17 tackles, a tally matched by Jack McGrath while Rhys Ruddock and Jamie Heaslip made 14 apiece. They were made to work against Georgia but eventually crossed for six tries, and while their performance against Australia saw more errors creep in than usual, they ground it out to finish the series with a 100% record.

With a world-class coach and players through the spine of a team anchored by the in-form half-backs Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton, Ireland are in a good place heading into the Six Nations and look to be peaking at the right time.

Italy

One win from three for Italy. They should have knocked over an inexperienced Argentina side and an under-par South Africa were there for the taking on November 22. One positive to take is the emergence of Kelly Haimona at fly-half and he should continue for the Six Nations while Sergio Parisse continues to be the star shining brighter than any of his team-mates. They will have their work cut out against France and Ireland come the World Cup but there is always that chance of an upset with the Azzurri. Consistency, however, escapes them.

Scotland

Whisper it, but Scotland looked organised, accomplished and confident in their three Tests in November. Anchored by the wonderful Gray brothers in the second-row, the tenacious Blair Cowan at openside, the guidance of Greig Laidlaw at scrum-half and the resurgent Stuart Hogg at fullback, they played some impressive rugby. A late lapse of concentration might have cost them against Argentina after having been the better side for the majority of the game, but they blew away Tonga, despite Vern Cotter saying they were underdogs for the match, and went toe-to-toe with an All Blacks side, albeit a much-changed one. There are green shoots of optimism north of the border and an air of confidence that has seldom been felt over the last decade. Much of the credit for that lies at Cotter's door.

New Zealand were left with the most to cheer © Getty Images

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Wales

They saved their best until last. For periods against Australia and New Zealand they were in the ascendancy and the Millennium Stadium dared to dream, but in the end there was that horribly familiar feeling of having seen an opportunity to knock over one of the southern hemisphere's big three go begging. The talk leading into their game against South Africa was of pressure. Warren Gatland's record against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia was dismal and despite their three Six Nations titles between 2008 and the present day, there was a feeling of unease. But Wales' 12-6 win over South Africa, who were sloppy, could be the catalyst for them to really push on. Question marks remain over some positions but Sam Warburton enjoyed a remarkable November series while Rhys Webb, Dan Biggar and Liam Williams came away from their autumn experiences with enhanced reputations. There are grounds for optimism, but the less said about that game against Fiji, the better.

Argentina

Against Italy, Argentina put their faith in youth and then reverted back to the tried and tested for the Test in Paris. They are boasting an ever-increasing strength in depth and that they won two from two out of those internationals suggests they are in a good place heading into the World Cup. And all this off the back of their maiden Rugby Championship win. Nicolas Sanchez has the fly-half berth nailed down after his masterclass in game management against France while Juan Martin Hernandez worked well alongside him. There will be questions over the mental strength when it comes to the World Cup - far too often Tests have escaped them in the final 10 minutes of the match - but with a Super Rugby franchise to come, Argentinean rugby is in a good place.

Australia

World Cup Odds

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• New Zealand - 6/4
• England - 7/2
• South Africa - 4/1
• Australia - 8/1
• Ireland - 11/1
• France - 16/1
• Wales - 18/1
• Argentina - 80/1
• Samoa - 200/1
• Scotland - 200/1
• Odds from Unibet

If Australia had a decent pack, they would be some side. In the first half against England they put together a wonderful move: off the back of a scrum, Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley exchanged passes to put the scrum-half away down the right flank where his pass found Henry Speight, who was brought to ground just short of the try line. It was a move which looked simple but in the blink of an eye they had made 40 metres with wonderful fluidity. England can only dream of such a passage of play. But their traditional weakness in the front-row shows no sign of resolving itself - even having gnarly old prop Ewen McKenzie in charge for 15 months saw no improvement in that area. It remains their Achilles heel and Michael Cheika knows work must be done.

After a turbulent couple of months, expectations were low regarding the Wallabies' prospects in this series. A return of two wins from five paints a picture of transition. There are grounds for optimism with the backs playing some great rugby but until they sort out their forwards - Michael Hooper apart - they are doing little but treading water.

New Zealand

It will be another World Cup where the Kiwis head into the competition as favourites. In 42 Tests under Steve Hansen, the All Blacks have won 38, lost two and drawn two - a ridiculous record of sustained success. This tour has seen them develop strength in depth. After missing out on selection in the original squad, Colin Slade has now established himself as an integral asset on account of his versatility. While they have options in every position - Jeremy Thrush had a great tour but will struggle to break into the second-row with Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick there - the biggest stars continue to shine ever brighter. Richie McCaw continues to defy Father Time while Aaron Smith is still the world's finest scrum-half and Kieran Read stands above all others at No.8. The tour was billed as a dry-run for the World Cup, with tier-two opponents followed by Test matches against those from tier one. They came through with four wins from four.

South Africa

It was all a little bit tired from the Springboks. On October 4 they experienced their Lord Mayor's Show when they beat the All Blacks but they were woefully off the pace against Ireland and Wales. There was that win at Twickenham - including a lovely try from Cobus Reinach - but they were average against Italy. South Africa possess some of the world's top talents in Willie le Roux, Jean de Villiers, Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermeulen and will no doubt be a formidable side come the World Cup, but you sense they need a rest and time to recuperate. Rugby as a whole should also be hoping De Villiers recovers from his horrible knee injury soon as the World Cup will be worse off without him.