There are more quality players to come back from injury and the A team won the Triple Crown. And of course Brian O'Driscoll was the outstanding back, with his blistering pace and ability to beat anyone on a sixpence. I still think David Humphreys is Ireland's best fly-half and will be first choice for the Lions. Wales' season was tainted by the eligibility scandal, and while they did well to recover from it, expectations are perhaps a little more realistic now. The inaugural Six Nations has shown that as a competition it has no equal - nothing matches it.
Professionalism is important, no doubt.
But the Six Nations will never lose that sparkle that it has always had that means Ireland can beat France in a one-off, or Scotland can do the same to England.