Winners: seven who shone
Mike Brown England's most consistent player this month, the full-back will not suffer a return to the wing. A strong last line of defence with two more try-saving tackles against New Zealand, he is dominant in the air, always ready to counter. England need to find a way in the Six Nations of involving the deceptively strong runner much more in attack.
Dylan Hartley The hooker was second choice to Tom Youngs last season and missed out on the Lions because of indiscipline. The England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, warned him he was supping in the last-chance saloon and the hooker responded by buying a round designed to last him a while. His line-out accuracy, syncing with his club colleagues Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood, has marked him out from Youngs this month; he has stoked the scrum and provided controlled aggression.
Courtney Lawes Lancaster has been bold in selection this month. Despite being without a number of England's Lions, he chose Lawes ahead of Geoff Parling, who was part of the Lions success in Australia this summer, and gave him the responsibility of calling the line-out. A player whose head in the past tended to overheat is now more analytical and mature, seeing the whole picture rather than just a target to smash into.
Joe Launchbury The second-row scored two of England's six tries this month, reward for his mobility and presence of mind. His work at the breakdown was a significant contributory factor in the victory over Australia, a second-row with the pace and awareness of a flanker and the skills of a three-quarter. And he is only 22.
Billy Vunipola The No8's selection ahead of Ben Morgan was another big call by Lancaster, never mind the Gloucester forward's slow start to the campaign. Vunipola has been at the heart of the action, rather than standing out waiting for glory passes, and was England's go-to man this month. He touched the ball more than any other forward on Saturday and only Julian Savea covered more metres in possession. He forced two turnovers and made some thumping tackles. With Morgan making an impact from the bench, England now have the force in the back row they lacked in Cardiff.
Chris Robshaw The England captain's leadership qualities and ability as an open-side flanker have been questioned since he made the side last year, but he is someone his team-mates follow. England's back row forced five turnovers off the All Blacks compared to three, a stark statistic given that England enjoyed 62 per cent of the possession, and was a cohesive, complementary unit. The captain looks in it for the long haul, the heartbeat of his side.
Owen Farrell A difference between November internationals and the Six Nations is that opponents like New Zealand and Australia push the boundaries of opponents. Structure is all very well, but defences must be made to think. Farrell is no longer seen just as a kicker and distributor, scoring a try against Australia by exploiting a defence that was drifting in anticipation of the pass and he made five breaks on Saturday. England could not take advantage out wide, but injured backs should return.
Losers: three who disappointed
Joel Tomkins England missed Manu Tuilagi and may have to do without him in the Six Nations. Tomkins struggled to make the step up to Test rugby, both in speed of thought and skill: he made three knock-ons against the All Blacks and missed two of his three tackles. Henry Trinder missed out this month because of injury and outside-centre is the position giving Lancaster most to ponder in the next two months.
Chris Ashton The wing scored a try against Argentina and looked to get involved against New Zealand, but the ball rarely travels from left to right and he is more peripheral than in his early days. He has been caught out defensively, narrow when opponents go wide, and when Christian Wade and Marland Yarde return to fitness, his past exploits may not count for much.
Tom Youngs The hooker, along with Parling, has lost out this month, two Lions relegated to bench duty. He started against Australia but three of his six line-out throws were misdirected and when Hartley came on and made a difference, the Leicester forward lost his place. When he had his chance against the All Blacks, coming on with 29 minutes to go, his throwing was again inaccurate but, at 26, time is not against him.
