Eight months ago there was general sniggering in the southern hemisphere that the north had fallen way behind on the evidence of the World Cup outcome. New Zealand and Australia contested the World Cup final at Twickenham‚ and South Africa and Argentina were the other two semi-finalists.Not a northern hemisphere team in sight in the final two weeks of the tournament‚ and in their own backyard nogal. Oh‚ how we laughed. But it was an illusion.A false sense of entitlement from the southern hemisphere (and this writer included) that the Rugby Championship’s best were simply on another level to the north in general. During the World Cup itself‚ southern hemisphere teams were ahead – in the case of New Zealand – miles down the road‚ but for the rest the difference could be measured in centimetres. Events this June have proven that if anything that the bulk of northern hemisphere’s teams have moved ahead of all‚ but the All Blacks. At the World Cup‚ eventual finalists Australia scraped through their quarterfinal against Scotland on the basis of an incorrect refereeing call and the Springboks needed a moment of genius to separate themselves from an obstinate Wales in the last eight. A poor Six Nations entrenched the illusion in some quarters that the southern hemisphere remained better than the north despite our own crumbling Super Rugby standards (NZ’s top four teams excluded). Still‚ the perception persisted that when England‚ Ireland and Wales‚ in particular‚ arrived in Australia‚ South Africa and New Zealand respectively for winter tours‚ the gulf in class would be highlighted. Two Tests into those series and things have changed.England‚ under Eddie Jones‚ have turned into a hard-nosed team that plays with spirit and skill. Their 2-0 series win‚ with one more to come‚ underlines how far they have come and just what an anomaly the Wallabies’ World Cup final appearance was. Even Wales’ performances in New Zealand‚ despite appearing to be business as usual with the All Blacks winning by 18 and 14 points in the first two Tests‚ masks how far the Dragons have come. For 60 minutes in each match Wales took the All Blacks to the edge and demanded that the world champions produce and play their best.New Zealand duly obliged thanks to a battery of world-class players honed in a seamless system of talent identification and skills perfection that looks set to dominate the world for another four years.But it was far from easy.In terms of rugby quality that series has been superior to anything else we’ve seen this winter because Wales have been superb and contributed massively. Ireland‚ after a dramatic slump at the World Cup‚ secured their first ever Test win in SA at Newlands two weeks ago and were 10 minutes from an historic series win at Ellis Park last week before a Bok rear-guard spared blushes – for now. Considering Ireland arrived in SA without six of their leading players‚ their dominance of the series (they’ve outplayed the Boks for 130 of the 160 minutes played so far) shows that their system is working. English clubs have good academies and the Welsh club system‚ albeit is small‚ is focused on nurturing talent. Ireland‚ with former Brumbies coach David Nucifora as high performance director and Joe Schmidt as head coach have widened their player base.Connacht’ success in the Pro 12 final broke the Munster/Leinster/Ulster power base and brought new players to the fore. Ireland’ under-20s are in the World Championship final for the first time having beaten New Zealand and Wales in Pool play and Argentina in the semi-final.They will meet defending champions England‚ who are a magnificent team‚ staffed by players shaped through the club system’s academies. New Zealand and SA still produce the most naturally gifted rugby athletes but the northern hemisphere appears to have found a way to create quality players through high performance and planning. Results will always ebb and flow but the days of expecting to win against British and Irish sides have gone for good.Those wins have to be earned over 80 minutes‚ every time. - TMG Digital..