Only once in post-war competition had a team gone into the final match within reach of a clean sweep and suffered a bigger loss – Ireland when they ran into the English world-beaters in 2003 and came up 36 points short. Had their finishing been sharper, the Irish would not have been far off winning by that sort of margin.

Grand Slams, as Martin Johnson knows only too well, do not grow on trees. England’s manager is realistic enough to appreciate that his team has a very long way to go to begin to match the one which he led to the ultimate victory in Sydney eight years ago, one which suffered the pain of losing three Grand Slam deciders.

According to those who were there, such galling experiences all contributed to making what England eventually became. On that basis, Johnson’s team presumably still has at least one more Grand Slam to lose.

Losing the big one and still winning the title has long been something of an English speciality. It happened at Murrayfield in 2000 and again at Lansdowne Road the following year when Johnson, nursing a broken hand, could only sit and watch from afar as Keith Wood blasted over from a line-out for the decisive try.

Ireland have now beaten England so often that they must almost wish for a five-Test series. Despite beating them seven times out of the last eight, the Irish still have only the one title and the one Slam to show for it, in 2009.

Of the six, they are in the best shape heading into the World Cup, even if they found themselves run out of the top two for only the second time in six seasons. As they came down the home straight, nobody suffered more than Wales.

On a night when L’Equipe’s banner headline L’Heure du Rachat (The hour of redemption) caught the national mood, France responded by helping themselves to three tries, enough to push Wales from second to fourth on points difference.

This was the year when the Championship had something for everyone, when 60 per cent of the matches were won and lost by single-figure margins.

It will also be remembered for the restoration of its traditional unpredictability and glorious knack of producing a result which nobody could have seen coming.

Who could have imagined before the tournament began, let alone predicted, that the results would go the way they did – Scotland beat Italy, who beat France, who beat Wales, who beat Ireland, who beat England. Everyone will cast a retrospect look at the last seven weeks and think of the if-only moments.

Italy – if only they had denied Ireland the platform for Ronan O’Gara to drop the last-minute winner on the first Saturday.

Scotland – if only they had played at home, especially against Wales, the way they did at Twickenham.

Wales – if only they hadn’t been a man down when Chris Ashton found the room to stroll over for the decisive try on that opening Friday night in Cardiff.

Ireland – if only the officials had spotted the illegality of the Welsh try which ultimately cost them the match in Cardiff.

France – if only they had turned up in Rome they would have spared themselves, and head coach Marc Lievremont, a lot of grief.

England – if only they had been able to cope with the ferocity of an Irish team who will wonder why they weren’t playing for the Slam, until they remember Rome and count their blessings.

It was also the year when only two of the six picked the same fly half from start to finish. France stuck by Francois Trinh-Duc, the one constant in a rapidly changing back division. England made Toby Flood their No. 1 from the outset, while still finding ample time for Jonny Wilkinson to finish all five matches.

Others were not so sure. Ireland went from Jonathan Sexton to Ronan O’Gara and back again; Wales from Stephen Jones to James Hook; Scotland from Dan Parks to Ruaridh Jackson, Italy from Kris Burton to Luciano Orquera and back.

Team of the weekend:
15 Keith Earls (Ireland)
14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
13 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
12 Sean Lamont (Scotland)
11 Vincent Clerc (France)
10 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
9 Eoin Reddan (Ireland)
1 Cian Healy (Ireland)
2 Rory Best (Ireland)
3 Mike Ross (Ireland)
4 Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
5 Lionel Nallet (France)
6 Sean O’Brien (Ireland)
7 David Wallace (Ireland)
8 Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)

Team of the tournament:

15 Andrea Masi (Italy)
14 Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
13 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
12 Sean Lamont (Scotland)
11 Chris Ashton (England)
10 Toby Flood (England)
9 Fabio Semenzato (Italy)
1 Thomas Domingo (France)
2 William Servat (France)
3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
4 Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
5 Tom Palmer (England)
6 Sean O’Brien (Ireland)
7 Sam Warburton (Wales)
8 Sergio Parisse (Italy)

Replacements:
Hooker – Rory Best (Ireland)
Prop – Paul James (Wales)
Lock – Lionel Nallet (France)
Back row – David Wallace (Ireland)
Scrum half – Ben Youngs (England)
Fly half – Jonny Wilkinson (England)
Utility back – Keith Earls (Ireland)

Best performance – Ireland in generating a level of physicality which England couldn’t match.
Best contest – Italy’s unforgettable achievement in turning an apparent lost cause against France into a wonderful home win.
Best players – Sergio Parisse, Brian O’Driscoll, Sean O’Brien.
Best newcomers – Sean O’Brien, Sam Warburton, Fabio Semenzato.