The 2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship was a tournament lit up by Wales as they collected their second title and Grand Slam in four seasons.
New coach Warren Gatland and his trusty lieutenants Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley transformed Wales from World Cup flops to kings of Europe in less than six months.
They simply grew and grew after beating England at Twickenham on the opening weekend, leaving their rivals floundering.
England, despite two defeats, were best of the rest as they claimed the runners-up spot - their best finish since 2003 - but Ireland crashed, France experimented, Scotland struggled and Italy collected the wooden spoon.
Here, PA Sport rugby union correspondent ANDREW BALDOCK delivers his Six Nations end-of-term report.
WALES
What a transformation! 168 days after being dumped out of the World Cup by Fiji, Wales were crowned Six Nations Grand Slam champions after responding magnificently to the demanding standards set by Gatland and his coaching staff.
Intensity, commitment, determination, structure, skill - Wales had the lot - and in captain Ryan Jones they possessed a leader who moulded everything together on the pitch.
Six-try wing Shane Williams proved the tournament's most exciting player, but Wales had heroes everywhere you looked. The challenge now is to keep improving and keep winning.
Points scored: 148 (average per game 29.6).
Points conceded: 66 (13.2).
Tries scored: 13 (2.6).
Tries conceded: 2 (0.4).
Star player: Shane Williams.
ENGLAND
The 2007 World Cup finalists found themselves playing catch-up once they suffered a first Twickenham defeat against Wales for 20 years, but highlights included a notable victory over France in Paris and a stylish success against Ireland.
The lowest point came at Murrayfield - where a clueless, rudderless England crashed 15-9 to Scotland in arguably the poorest-quality Six Nations game ever seen.
Head coach Brian Ashton paraded fly-half prodigy Danny Cipriani for the final game against Ireland - and he ran the show like a seasoned veteran, rather than the 20-year-old Test rookie he is, and that image represents England's future.
Points scored: 108 (20.8).
Points conceded: 83 (16.6).
Tries scored: 8 (1.6).
Tries conceded: 5 (1).
Star player: Andrew Sheridan.
FRANCE
No one quite knew what to expect from France coach Marc Lievremont - and he did not disappoint, using a total of 34 players during the tournament, but making change after change possibly hindered - rather than helped - Les Bleus' progress.
Wing Vincent Clerc's explosive finishing power proved one constant theme - he scored five tries - and full-back Cedric Heymans, when he played, at times looked a world-beater.
Problems were laid bare up front, though, where France's lack of world-class props was horribly exposed by England - and it is that critical area Lievremont needs to concentrate on.
Points scored: 103 (20.6).
Points conceded: 93 (18.6).
Tries scored: 11 (2.1).
Tries conceded: 7 (1.4).
Star player: Vincent Clerc.
IRELAND
World Cup failures, Six Nations failures. Who says Ireland aren't consistent?
After failing to deliver last autumn - they arrived at the World Cup among the top two European contenders - this season's Six Nations offered a chance for redemption, but Ireland again fell short.
Coach Eddie O'Sullivan is possibly just days away from losing his job, and several of Ireland's older brigade could conceivably have played their last Test match. A troubled Six Nations campaign will inevitably bring major fall-out.
Points scored: 93 (18.6).
Points conceded: 99 (19.8).
Tries scored: 9 (1.8).
Tries conceded: 10 (2).
Star player: Rob Kearney.
SCOTLAND
Scotland, yet again, relied on Chris Paterson's boot as their principal scoring weapon - claiming just three tries in five games, with two of those arriving in the final match against Italy.
Paterson kicked the Scots to a richly-deserved Calcutta Cup win against England.But in terms of victories, that was it as France, Wales, Ireland and Italy all toppled them.
Coach Frank Hadden might not be in O'Sullivan territory when it comes to a lack of job security, but he will know considerable improvements have to be made.
Points scored: 69 (13.8).
Points conceded: 123 (24.6).
Tries scored: 3 (0.6).
Tries conceded: 13 (2.6).
Star player: Nathan Hines.
ITALY
New Italy coach Nick Mallett will review a mixed bag of a Six Nations when the Azzurri, at times, played some thrilling rugby but all too often undermined it through careless decision-making, poor kicking or weak defence.
Captain Sergio Parisse proved an outstanding leader, while prop Martin Castrogiovanni delivered world-class consistency, but there is a considerable talent gap between Italy's best and much of the rest.
The highlight was a 23-20 victory over Scotland on the tournament's final weekend. But there is much to be done, and Mallett will be the first to acknowledge that fact.
Points scored: 74 (14.8).
Points conceded: 131 (26.2).
Tries scored: 6 (1.2).
Tries conceded: 13 (2.6).
Star player: Sergio Parisse.
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