So that's that then. Another RBS 6 Nations Championship done and dusted with only one real winner - the All Blacks.

As with last season's showpiece European tournament, there was not an awful lot for the neutral to get excited about.

Sure, there were highlights - Ireland's Croke Park thumping of England, Wales star James Hook's fly-half masterclass against the same opponents and Italy's forwards putting rival packs through the mincer - but New Zealand coach Graham Henry will not have suffered a disrupted sleep pattern.

He might even quote comedienne Catherine Tate's ``Am I bothered?'' catchphrase in his private moments after the Six Nations merely underlined his side's status as the hottest favourites in World Cup history.

With 169 days to go before France and Argentina kick things off in Paris, New Zealand are so far ahead of the rest that it will surely require a catastrophic implosion on their part not to succeed England as world champions.

England arrived in Australia almost four years ago as the best-prepared squad, with all their major players fit and available, and they promptly won the tournament.

New Zealand are guaranteed to match them on the first requirement and, if they also fulfil the second criteria, then it is surely game over.

Nothing has changed the view that Six Nations champions France are potentially best-equipped in terms of halting an All Blacks procession, but can anyone seriously claim they retained their European title with any great style?

And, given a total no-show of the French forwards at Twickenham - many would argue coach Bernard Laporte is working with an ageing pack - have New Zealand moved even further ahead without even playing a game?

England, it must be said, have made progress under new head coach Brian Ashton since the dismal autumn series, and three home wins represented a reasonable return.

Form on the road though, is worrying, while Ashton and his staff must sort out the forwards, otherwise there can be little hope of England exceeding expectations and progressing beyond the quarter-finals.

Props Andrew Sheridan and Matt Stevens, both now playing again following long-term injury problems, will surely be involved on this summer's two-Test South Africa tour, and Bath captain Steve Borthwick's lineout expertise makes him a probable starter alongside Martin Corry.

Leicester flanker Lewis Moody, who missed the entire Six Nations campaign through injury, could also reappear, while England are also checking on another recent injury absentee and his recovery prospects - Bristol number eight Dan Ward-Smith.

Another issue for Ashton looks like being the captaincy.

He has already named Wasps prop Phil Vickery as his World Cup skipper, yet if Sheridan and Stevens are firing on all cylinders, would Vickery make the starting XV?

And the same can be said for centre Mike Catt, despite him taking over impressively as leader from an injured Vickery for the final two Six Nations games against France and Wales.

Ashton was impressed with Andy Farrell's work at inside centre during the first three Six Nations matches and, assuming injury-plagued Jonny Wilkinson is fit and available, might not current fly-half Toby Flood also be considered as England's number 12?

Where would that leave Catt and Vickery? Surely your team is selected first, then the skipper.

Former England captains Martin Corry and Jason Robinson might end up with more than a passing interest come World Cup time.

Elsewhere, Ireland played some thrilling rugby during the Six Nations. They destroyed England, outscored Wales 3-0 on tries in Cardiff and smashed Italy, but it will be a tournament remembered as a huge missed opportunity.

They landed another Triple Crown, but it should have been the Grand Slam and title, prizes that eluded them because they momentarily lost concentration against France in Dublin.

To allow French wing Vincent Clerc even a sniff of the line with just seconds remaining was unforgivable, let alone seeing him score the try that ended those Grand Slam hopes.

Ireland will travel to the World Cup in confident mood, but enormous pressure games await them in the pool stage against France and Argentina, and there must be doubts about their ability to flourish when expectation is at its most intense.

Wales' face-saving victory over England prevented a Six Nations whitewash, but they could well have unearthed two young World Cup stars in fly-half James Hook and lock Alun-Wyn Jones, while Italy's mighty forwards could provide the platform for a concerted quarter-final push.

The Azzurri are grouped alongside Scotland - the countries clash in St Etienne on September 29 - which should prove a straight knockout game in terms of reaching the last eight.

And if Scotland cannot find more consistent scoring options than the one provided by Chris Paterson's goalkicking then Italy would be strong candidates to progress.

You can't help wondering though, whether it is all just some bubbling sub-plot to a main script that culminates in All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy at Stade de France on October 20.