Amid the detritus of failed hopes and ongoing disappointments that have dogged northern hemisphere rugby ever since England's 2003 Rugby World Cup win, some discernible shards of light have begun to emerge.
Last weekend's first-round matches in the 2012 Six Nations Championship were hardly of a quality to keep the
likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw awake at night in a cold sweat. Yet there were some individual examples of skills and collective moments of team play that had true class writ large.
Wales and France offered by far the most of the Six Nations. Between them, they scored seven tries, four by the French against Italy and, more impressively, three by Wales against Ireland in Dublin. We hear a lot about inferior skill levels among northern hemisphere rugby men but the off-loading skills of Welsh players like Rhys Priestland and George North, plus the finishing of Jonathan Davies and penetrative running of Mike Phillips, caught the eye in Dublin.
Welsh desire to expand their game and demonstrate invention and decision making by individuals was a warming encouragement on a cold winter's afternoon. Having returned over the Irish Sea with an important away win, Welsh coach Warren Gatland will expect further progress by his entertaining team when they meet Scotland in Cardiff on Monday morning.
By contrast, Ireland coach Declan Kidney could be staring down the barrel of even more criticism if, as expected, his team struggles to contain an exuberant-looking French outfit at Stade de France, Paris, on Sunday morning.
