The international rugby sun has set for another year with all eyes now firmly fixed on the World Cup in Japan.

With less than 12 months to the showpiece, the autumn internationals have provided one of the final proving grounds for sides as they finalise their 2019 preparations.

Some have positioned themselves perfectly for an assault on the Webb Ellis Cup, while others have a lot of work to do – in a pretty small amount of time.

Here we take a look at how each team has performed in the last four weeks.

 

IRELAND

Jacob Stockdale notched the crucial score against New Zealand.

Opponents: Italy, Argentina, New Zealand, USA

Record: Four wins from four

Standout performance: The New Zealand win

Grading: 8.5 out of 10

Another unbeaten autumn from Joe Schmidt’s boys in green. The standout here is obviously the 16-9 win over the All Blacks in Dublin. With everyone touting those two as the best sides in the world, it was important for Ireland to get the win and prove they are capable of toppling the giants of world rugby.

Going into the World Cup they know they can beat the best – which they will have to do if they are to get their hands on the trophy. Defensively superb, rock solid up front and incisive in attack – this is a special team.

Little will have been learned in the other fixtures, with the reason they are not marked higher being that level of opposition.

Ireland know to go deep in the World Cup, they will need to beat the best sides one after another, and that’s the only question mark that remains.

 

ENGLAND

Opponents: South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Australia

Record: Three wins, one loss

Standout performance: The final day hosing of Australia

Grading: 9 out of 10

England went into this series something of a mystery. A poor Six Nations was followed up by a series defeat in South Africa and genuine questions were being asked of both Eddie Jones and his side.

While not all of them will have been answered, three wins and a single-point defeat to the All Blacks isn’t a bad retort.

With the injection of some new talent to the side, to complement some of the more established stars, England have put themselves firmly back in the reckoning.

They may have ridden their luck a little at times, but that’s the nature of the beast when a side is rebuilding.

They are by no means the finished article but can head into 2019 with a great deal of satisfaction.

 

WALES

Wales had a 100 per cent record for the first time in an autumn series.

Opponents: Scotland, Australia, Tonga, South Africa

Record: Four wins from four

Standout performance: The South Africa win

Grading: 8 out of 10

Autumn is not usually a fun time for Welsh fans, the fact this is the first clean sweep for Wales tells you all you need to know.

Warren Gatland will have been pleased with elements from all four games – good game management against Scotland, a first win in a decade against Australia, ruthlessness in the drubbing of Tonga, and looking adversity in the face and coming through to beat South Africa.

Fresh faces have firmly established themselves in the fold – whether this be Ellis Jenkins or Josh Adams, Adam Beard or even Gareth Anscombe who now appears to hold the No10 jersey. The depth in the Wales squad is now at a level so lacking in the past.

The only thing that detracts for Gatland’s men is that fact they didn’t play arguably the three best sides they could have faced.

 

SCOTLAND

Huw Jones has been one of the leading lights for Scotland.

Opponents: Wales, Fiji, South Africa, Argentina

Record: Two wins, two losses

Standout performance: A win over Argentina

Grading: 6 out of 10

It gets a little cliched saying ‘typical Scotland’ but the autumn really was. Some real high points (stand up Huw Jones), but they constantly get overshadowed by frustrating lows.

An opening defeat in Cardiff didn’t get things off on the best foot, but confidence will have been lifted by the thumping of Fiji.

South Africa should have been beaten, but sloppy game management prevented that.

A turgid win to close things out against Argentina was the very least they needed to get some credibility.

 

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand have work to do.

Opponents: Japan, England, Ireland, Italy

Record: Three wins, one loss

Standout performance: England, just about

Grading: 6 out of 10

After some stutters in the Rugby Championship, talk leading into the autumn was of an All Black side that was there to be got at.

If we ignore the Japan and Italy games, with respect to both sides, that chat was absolutely right.

They looked disjointed against England but managed to grind out a win, but came up against a solid green wall in Dublin.

While the scoreboard shows a converted try win for the Irish, that doesn’t tell the full story.

When we see the All Blacks we think of forwards punching holes, outrageous offloads and backs slicing through at will. Not a bit of it here. The Irish defence blunted them completely, which will be the biggest worry for Steve Hansen and his men.

If the World Cup started tomorrow, they would not be favourites – and that’s a huge shift from the start of the year.

 

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa had a mixed bag of results.

Opponents: England, France, Scotland, Wales

Record: Two wins, two losses

Standout performance: A gutsy win in France

Grading: 6 out of 10

This is tricky to judge, as it could have quite easily been four wins, or indeed four losses they head back home with.

South African rugby is finding its feet again but it’s a long road.

Controversially denied a last-kick-of-the-game shot to beat England, they were unable to ever truly assert dominance in their fixtures.

They remain a force up front with a generally solid set-piece, and one of the world’s great forwards in Malcolm Marx.

Questions remain in the back line, but under Rassie Erasmus they are heading in the right direction.

 

AUSTRALIA

The future doesn’t look good for Australia.

Opponents: Wales, Italy, England

Record: One win, two losses

Standout performance: Is there one?

Grading: 3 out of 10

Things go from bad to worse for Australia.

Rugby union has real issues Down Under and that’s now showing on the pitch.

Lacking quality, depth and any real sense of direction, this once giant of the game is bloodied and on its knees.

There is no shame in away losses to Wales and England, but the results are more endemic of wider issues.

You question coach Michael Cheika, but what he has at his disposal is simply not good enough.

Sad to see when the likes of Michael Hooper, David Pocock and Isreal Folau would grace most sides.

 

FRANCE

Opponents: South Africa, Argentina, Fiji

Record: One win, two losses

Standout Performance: The win over Argentina

Grading: 5 out of 10

The French enigma continues.

Unlucky to lose to South Africa in their opening fixtures, a great win over Argentina, then capitulation against Fiji.

The drawing board awaits.

 

ARGENTINA

Opponents: Ireland, France, Scotland

Record: Three defeats

Standout performance: N/a

Rating: 3 out of 10

A disappointing end to what has been a year that showed some promise for the Pumas.

Desperately craving depth to improve an undeniably talented squad.

A tour too much for them after the Rugby Championship.