The wackiest of Six Nations came to a close on Saturday, with Eddie Jones’ England side taking the spoils for the third time in five years. 

The first championship after the World Cup offered a glimpse into the future and what we might expect in the three years ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France. 

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Some teams look strong, some look to be turning the corner, and some can’t wait to start the Autumn Nations Cup and put the 2020 Six Nations behind them. Here are the grades for each of the Six Nations after the longest tournament in history:

England: A-

With their 34-5 win over Italy over the weekend, Eddie Jones’ men nudged out France on points difference to take the Six Nations crown. All in all, it was a very strong tournament for the reigning World Cup runners-up, who bounced back from a first-round defeat to win four straight and claim the title. 

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England appeared to suffer from a World Cup hangover in the Six Nations opener against France, falling behind 24-0 in Paris. However, two sensational Jonny May tries and an Owen Farrell penalty as time expired saw the English escape the French capital with a precious bonus point – one that proved to be vital in securing the championship. 

This Six Nations won’t erase the memories of the South Africa match, but it will help ease the pain and offer positive momentum moving forward. 

Wales: D-

Year One under boss Wayne Pivac has not been kind. Filling in for Warren Gatland was never going to be a simple task, but after 12 months, Pivac has only one win to show and a current five-game losing streak. 

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Things looked bright after a 42-0 win in the Six Nations opener against Italy, but since then it’s been anything but for Wales. A weak performance in Ireland, then close defeats to England and France, followed by a first home loss to Scotland in 18 years has seen the Welsh finish second-from-bottom in the standings. 

The Autumn Nations Cup can’t come soon enough for a side desperate to turn around its bad fortunes. 

Ireland: B

There was a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding the Ireland team heading into 2020, given a new coach, an aging roster, and the departure of stalwart captain Rory Best. But the men from the Emerald Isle came out of the gates strong in the Six Nations, defeating rivals Scotland and Wales to open their account. 

Unfortunately, that’s as good as it got for new boss Andy Farrell. A comfortable win over Italy sandwiched between another tough defeat to England and a loss to a very good French team left Ireland in third place at the end of the competition. 

It remains to be seen how Ireland progresses into the Autumn Nations Cup, but for now they look like they can still be a force to reckon with on the international stage. 

France: B+

Oh, how close France were to an A+ Six Nations. However, as only the French can do, they sabotaged their own beautiful work with one mindless action in their Round 4 game against Scotland. 

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Following a wonderful 3-0 start to 2020, France had their eyes deadest on a potential Grand Slam – their first since 2010. Unfortunately, a Romain Ntamack injury in the 12^th minute coupled with a red card for Mohamed Haouas’ punch against Scotland saw France tumble to a lone defeat this year. 

The French rebounded with a powerful performance to take down Ireland in the final match of the tournament, but failed to match England on points difference in the table. Regardless, it was a splendid debut Six Nations for new coach Fabien Galthie, and a statement that France is officially back. 

They will provide fireworks in the Autumn Nations Cup; you can count on that. 

Scotland: B

Things are trending upward for Scotland at the moment. Gregor Townsend’s side tasted marginal defeat to Ireland and England in the first two rounds of the Six Nations, but buckled in for a frenetic finish to round out their campaign. 

Wins over Italy, France, and Wales saw the Scots take three matches on the bounce and head into the Autumn Nations Cup with some serious momentum. The patchy relationship between Townsend and superstar fly-half Finn Russell seems to be on good terms, and the Scottish defense is finally looking world class. 

Should Scotland be able to turn in strong results with more consistency, they can really challenge for titles. We’ll see if that comes to fruition in a couple weeks’ time when Scotland begin their quest for the Autumn Nations Cup. 

Italy: F

Death, taxes, and the Wooden Spoon for Italy. The Italians go yet another year without a victory in the Six Nations, making that five in a row. Never for a moment did it look like Italy may pull out a win, and yet again eyebrows are being raised about their inclusion in the championship. 

Italy will have a couple of weeks to get ready for the Autumn Nations Cup, a tournament that will truly test their belonging in tier-1 rugby. They’ll likely face Fiji and then Georgia, both of whom are tier-2 teams itching to scalp one of the Six Nations in this year’s inaugural Autumn Nations Cup.