The French came out of the World Cup with bittersweet feelings.
Coach Bernard Laporte's young team had discovered a word which had been missing from the language of French rugby -- consistency.
In flyhalf Frederic Michalak, they unleashed a standout kicker as well as an imaginative passer. Centers Yannick Jauvion and Tony Marsh always looked capable of slicing through defenses -- except England's.
France's loss
The French lost 24-7 to England in a semifinal lashed by rain in Sydney, but their next campaign will be on home ground after the IRB's majority vote to give France the 2007 World Cup, ahead of England's bid.
The World Cup was a fan and financial success, ending with a US$32 million profit for Australia, but there was criticism of the IRB for not doing enough to help the lesser nations.
The likes of Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Namibia were undermanned at the World Cup because their overseas players feared leaving their club employers. And a proposed nine-nation tournament featuring the Tri-Nations and Six Nations teams was received by the also-rans as the rich nations looking out for themselves again.
In the Tri-Nations, New Zealand swept the event and won it in consecutive years, highlighted by inflicting the worst ever home defeats to South Africa 52-16 in Pretoria, and to Australia 50-21 in Sydney.
England's Six Nations triumph was a near certainty from the moment Woodward's men beat France 25-17 on the opening day of the championship. They finished with a 42-6 crushing of Ireland on the final day to post a 12th Grand Slam.
for the first time
In between the Six Nations and the World Cup, England also posted its first ever victory over the Wallabies on Australian soil, 25-14 in Melbourne.
That was a week after a 15-13 victory over the All Blacks in Wellington. In that game, Woodward's men spent 10 minutes down to 13 players with two in the sinbin, yet didn't concede a score.
It was that sort of year for England. Woodward, strongly tipped to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, wants more.
"We will enjoy the moment until Jan. 1 and then we are looking forward to the Six Nations and beyond," he said. "And it will, of course, up the ante that the other teams will be playing the world champions."
In club action, Auckland Blues, with a backline featuring Spencer and All Blacks flyers Doug Howlett, Mils Muliaina and Rokocoko, won 10 of 11 games in the Super 12 regular season before beating four-time champion Canterbury Crusaders 21-17 in the final.
The European title went to Toulouse for the second time in an all-French final in Dublin. Toulouse raced into a 19-0 halftime lead before holding on for a 22-17 victory over Perpignan. Flyhalf Yann Delaigue kicked four penalties and converted Vincent Clerc's try.
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