Italy capable but need consistency
Italy showed the full spectrum of their inconsistency in this year's tournament. After an opening-weekend loss to Scotland in which they sang from the familiar hymn sheet of being in the game for the first hour before falling away, they then went on to beat Wales a week later in an assured performance.
However, they were then completely dismantled by France before losing by a far more respectable margin against England.
On Saturday in Rome they were within a whisker - perhaps an Ange Capuozzo offload in the dying seconds - of beating Ireland. But they could not find the winning edge.
At the end of the first-half, with Italy ahead and half-time a minute or so away, Michele Lamaro committed a cynical foul while under no pressure whatsoever, earning himself ten minutes in the bin and his side promptly conceded a pushover try after Ireland kicked to the corner. It was bordering on stupid - his own reaction to the card suggested he was all-too-aware of that fact - and it's exactly that kind of thing that Italy need to strip from their game if they are ever going to be genuine contenders in this tournament.
There is talent in the country; that much was apparent in their U20 side's victory over Ireland in Treviso on Friday night. The likes of Capuozzo and Tommaso Menoncello are among the best in their position in the world, but until they can find a way of closing out the big games with some confidence instead of panic, consistently, they will forever be lumbered with phrases such as 'plucky losers' and 'respectable loss'.
Ireland's performances underwhelm
Ireland began their campaign with a solid performance against England that yielded a comfortable win, and they were even more comfortable in victory against Scotland at Murrayfield a week later.
However, they then struggled hugely against a Wales side playing their first game without Warren Gatland, and then lost by a big margin to France - the manner of it taking away Ireland's ability to keep their destiny in their own hands when it came to the trophy.
But it was perhaps Saturday's performance in Rome that will have caused the most alarm in Ireland. While Italy were good, Ireland looked a shadow of the team that was heavily tipped to win the 2023 World Cup in France. In the time that many column inches have been dedicated to the effect Johnny Sexton's departure has had on the team, the list of retirees has grown.
Over the weekend, Irish rugby said goodbye to three stalwarts of the game; Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy bowing out after over four decades of collective service.
While they were no longer the first-choice players in their position, the drain of experience will be of slight concern as the team continues to stray from the ruthless efficiency they have enjoyed across the reigns of former coach Joe Schmidt and current coach Andy Farrell.
Perhaps Farrell's absence while he puts his focus on the British & Irish Lions ahead of their summer tour to Australia is a factor, but in reality this is an Ireland team that should have been able to easily put away Italy. A Wales team who conceded a record score on the final weekend should have been no problem either.
It's far too early to write Ireland off. In Leinster, they still have one of the best teams in the world - and that team still delivers the spine of the Irish side.
But there will be spots of doubt appearing in Ireland. They will have July Tests in which they will be forced to blood young talent while their stars are on Lions duty, after which they host November Tests against the Wallabies, Springboks and the All Blacks. If there are a lot of questions around this Irish side, those Tests will certainly deliver answers either way.
Wales have a job of the ages
Wales have a serious job on their hands to find someone who would be willing to take on their national team at the moment. They have players who are capable of being good, but their 68-14 mauling at the hands of England on Saturday - in Cardiff no less - showed that there is a disparity in ability that is widening by the campaign.
"If anything positive can come out of today: never waste a crisis," former Wales captain Gwyn Jones told BBC Scrum V after the ten-try defeat.
"They have got to make changes. They have got to be bold, and they've got to make substantial changes to the fabric of Welsh rugby.
"If that isn't motivation to do that, then there will never be motivation for change."
Wales have reached a truly low ebb. One previously thought unattainable for a team that won a Six Nations title only four years ago, and one who went into the 2019 World Cup as the number one team in the world. As of today they are number 12 in the world, and have not won a Test match since October 2023.
They have lost 17 Tests on the bounce - the worst by a tier-one nation in the professional era - and things are showing no sign of improving.
There has been plenty of talk about who could help Wales; including the likes of Simon Easterby and Michael Cheika. But would they even want the job? Wales have to find someone who is willing to do a full renovation on the country's rugby programme and there are not many who would be willing to take on the size of that task.
The WRU may need to wave a lot of money at the problem - money they do not realistically have - if they are to lure a big name to Cardiff to begin the mother of all rebuilds.
England finally realising potential?
Matt Dawson described it as "the best England performance of the Borthwick era by a mile" in his BBC column. David Flatman said: "Not since the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2019 have England looked so cohesive, so accurate, so ruthless, so dominant. England were savage, in their mindset and in their collisions."
While Wales were awful, England were everything but. The pressure was off them, granted. Particularly once they had an early 14-point lead. A lot of the latter tries they scored at the Principality were against a Welsh team who had been physically and emotionally battered in front of their fans. Former England scrum-half Danny Care even said in commentary that he felt sorry for Wales.
It has been difficult to judge this England team's performances since their third-place finish at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. They have had three losses against the All Blacks, albeit all three were within a score.
They also lost to South Africa and Australia in November, prompting a lot of disgruntled fans letting the team know that they weren't happy about the style of play. But the building blocks were always there, and to their credit they kept the faith - or at least said they had.
In the debate surrounding Marcus Smith and Fin Smith, Steve Borthwick had an enviable headache. In Ben Earls and Tom Curry, he has a back row capable of mixing it with the best, and in Henry Pollock - who scored twice on debut in Cardiff - he has soothing proof that the production line is still whirring away in the background.
Teams that win Six Nations and World Cup titles are ones with depth in each position, and England is slowly developing into a team that has that at their disposal.
France becoming a problem for world rugby
A team that already has that depth is France. While Antoine Dupont can do all but walk on water in the eyes of the French fans, in Maxime Lucu they have a more than capable understudy. The man who was on the bench to replace Lucu at the Stade de France due to Dupont's injury-enforced absence was Nolann le Garrec. He is only 22 years old, showing the depth that is in the grasp of the French powers that be.
In the U20s it seemed as though it was men against boys at times, with a host of France's junior stars having already tasted top-level men's rugby in the Top 14 as well as the Champions Cup.
There aren't many countries that can live with France at this point. Ireland, heavily touted to win a third consecutive title, were dispatched in Dublin. Wales were 'nilled and conceded nearly half a century of points.
Italy conceded over 70 to France in Rome. In short, this is a France team that has gotten over the hangover from losing out on the World Cup title on home soil 18 months ago and developed.
They are a team to be feared, and their grudge match against the Springboks in November - the same team that ended France's journey in that World Cup at the quarter-final stage 18 months ago - is set to be a heavyweight bout between two teams that have a wealth of players who can do a serious job for them when the front-liners are out of action.
Scotland need to kick on
Since coming fifth in the 2019 edition of the Six Nations, Scotland have finished fourth all but once in the six tournaments since; a third-place finish in 2023.
Gregor Townsend's side were good against England but ultimately couldn't win. They were good in patches against France in Paris, but as the game wore on they were unable to live with their hosts.
They barely laid a glove on Ireland and against Wales they were home and hosed but allowed Wales back into the game - Scotland were 20 points ahead with 12 minutes remaining and only won 35-29 in the end.
Scotland have some superstars in their team; Finn Russell continues to divide opinion but few can deny his playmaking ability. Duhan van der Merwe was relatively quiet in this year's tournament but has been the touchpaper for Scotland's attack plenty in the past. Blair Kinghorn is looking likely to wear the 15 jersey for the Lions in the summer.
However, like Italy, there is no consistency to it. Passion, yes. Commitment? Always. But passion only takes you so far and commitment is mandatory at Test level.
They were seven points behind France with half an hour to play in Paris, but lost 35-16 in the end. They could not deliver the killer blow when the pressure was on.
Game management needs to improve if Scotland are to lift themselves out of their mid-table cycle and into a title charge of which they are more than capable with the players they have at their disposal.