Immediately after England had recorded their seventh consecutive victory over one of the major southern hemisphere nations, their head coach Clive Woodward walked the few yards to where his opposite number Eddie Jones was sitting, shook his hand and then patted him on the head.

It was a fitting gesture after a week of mind games which started with Woodward railing against dummy runners and ended with Jones insisting that referees favoured home sides, a point he will probably not be making during next year's World Cup which is being hosted by Australia.

Games played off the field in international rugby union have tended to be more entertaining than those on it but England's Tests against New Zealand and Australia this month have been thrilling and absorbing one-offs.

"The atmosphere at Twickenham lifts us," said the England prop Jason Leonard, who needs two caps to take his England total to 100. "We have now won 17 home matches on the trot but the true test will come next year when we play in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the World Cup. We will have to dig deeper but, given the strength in depth we now have, it will not be impossible for us.

"We know the goal we have to achieve and in all my years of playing for England, there has never been so much talent spread so thickly throughout the squad. The competition for places is intense. Some very good players are going to be disappointed come the World Cup."

It has been a heady month for the northern hemisphere: New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have played seven matches in Europe between them and cannot boast a solitary victory. The duck should be broken by the Wallabies in Italy this weekend but, if the All Blacks lose to Wales for the first time since 1953, will it be concrete evidence of a shift in the balance of power?

"We do not represent the southern hemisphere. We are Australia," said Jones. "What this month has proved is that there is a massive advantage in playing at home. It is worth a 15% differential to the side playing on its own ground, especially the way matches are refereed. England are good at Twickenham but the big test for them will be playing away. There is a life cycle to teams and they are at the mature stage with Clive Woodward having been in charge for more than five years."

As Jason Robinson said: "We know we can do it at Twickenham and we have to take that form overseas and show we can beat these sides in their own back yards."