Those hoping for only a second northern hemisphere victory in the rugby World Cup next year will, on the basis of what transpired in the now concluded autumn test matches, travel more in hope than expectation.
French travel agents will be fearing the backlash after the high of the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier in the year raised genuine optimism for at last lifting the Webb Ellis trophy in New Zealand next October.
That sentiment has now been replaced with deep pessimism as they ended the year with a 59-16 drubbing by Australia.
Head coach Marc Lievremont looked shellshocked and was right to do so as his side succumbed to a second drubbing in a matter of months - having gone down 41-13 to Argentina in Buenos Aires in June.
However, the 42-year-old insisted that he would not step away from the job and would battle to set matters right with the two-time World Cup finalists.
"I take full responsibility for this failure but I repeat, I am hungry to carry on," said the former France backrow forward, who played in the 1999 World Cup final defeat to Australia.
"I am not sure that Pierre, Paul or Jacques could do better, even if they did it differently.
"I'm still convinced that we are going about things the right way in terms of management, managing the squad, and strategy."
Their predecessors as Grand Slam champions Ireland also have proved no great advertisement for winning the prestigious title and look old and tired though they rounded off their campaign with victory over an old nemesis Argentina - the 2007 semi-finalists looking as if their best years are behind them.
Despite this Irish coach Declan Kidney saw an encouraging picture developing.
"We'd a number of objectives, one was to build a squad, and after a four games series, we saw today everybody buying into it," said Kidney, who nevertheless admitted there was a lot of work to do.
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