All in all a fairly successful summer for England then, so surely Stuart Lancaster et al had some hard decisions to make when the Autumn's 33-man EPS squad was announced yesterday.
In fact six changes were made to the squad, with all but one of these players earning their first caps in Argentina. Here, I look at the notable inclusions and exclusions.
David Attwood - Lock (Bath)
"David Attwood adds a physical presence to the second row." Attwood certainly does that, having been cited for stamping on more than one occasion including a nine week ban during the 2010/11 season. Chances are he won't start matches due to the international form of Joe Launchbury and Geoff Parling but Lancaster likes his forwards to provide a physical impact off the bench, and that is Attwood's forte.
Dylan Hartley - Hooker (Northampton)
"I had a long hard think about it....he needs a strong start to the season with Northampton as changes can be made." By all accounts, Dylan is an extremely lucky boy. Tom Youngs had the summer of his life with the Lions and Rob Webber put in a couple of solid performances in Argentina and Hartley must be thanking the gods that he is still in the EPS squad. There are no doubts about his ability but his discipline has always been an issue and many are surprised that Lancaster hasn't punished him further by dropping him to the Saxons.
Chris Robshaw - Flanker (Harlequins)
Come on. Who really thought that Robshaw wouldn't be in the squad. One of England's main men during the Six Nations and can count himself extremely unlucky not to have gone to Australia with the Lions. Didn't travel to Argentina, not because Lancaster fell out of favour with him, but because he wanted to try new options. I have no doubts that Robshaw will be starting in the Autumn but as captain? Well that's a different matter entirely.
Matt Kvesic - Flanker (Gloucester)
Gloucester's new man is considered to be Robshaw's main threat and quite rightly so. He won his first caps in Argentina and put in some great performances including a stunning effort of 29 tackles in the first test. He's an out-and-out openside and has deservedly pushed Calum Clark and James Haskell out of international contention. While I don't think he will start in the Autumn, expect him to come on and try his hardest to put doubts in Lancaster's mind over Robshaw.
Billy Vunipola - No8 (Saracens)
One of the most exciting players to come onto the scene in years, Billy is a man-for-man swap for Thomas Waldrom. He came off the bench twice against Argentina but impressed so much that he's been called up and not many people would have bet against it. A natural try-scorer including a seven minute hat-trick against the CONSUR XV, woe betide anyone who tries to stop him when he picks up off the base of the scrum.
Tom Wood - Flanker (Northampton)
When Stuart Lancaster names his captain in October, expect many people to have put money on this guy. A brilliant captain's performance in Argentina and a man-of-the-match display against New Zealand have thrust Wood into the limelight. A natural in the lineout and in the tight, Wood has kept Tom Johnson out of the EPS squad.
Chris Ashton - Wing (Saracens)
On his day, there is no doubt that Ashton is an outstanding support player with an eye for a try. The only problem is, his day doesn't come around too often anymore. He's scored just twice in his last 17 internationals, and his defence is seen as a major weakness of his. Lancaster must have serious belief in Ashton to keep the likes of Jonny May, Ugo Monye, Tom Varndell, Charlie Sharples and David Strettle out the squad.
Kyle Eastmond - Versatile Back (Bath)
In my opinion, Eastmond is England's most exciting player to come through in many a moon. The ex-rugby league star has fitted effortlessly into his new code and when his first caps came calling in the summer, so did his first try, an outstanding individual effort. He has pace, agility and an eye for a defensive gap and if Lancaster wants to switch things up, swapping him for Brad Barritt wouldn't be the worst thing he's done. He comes into the EPS squad at the expense of his new team-mate, Jonathan Josephs.
Christian Wade - Wing (Wasps)
People have been calling on Wade to join the international setup for some time now, and he did just that in the summer, making his debut before being called up by the Lions. An instinctive try-scorer, last season he scored 18 tries in 26 tests and won the Premiership player's player and young player of the year awards. There were doubts over his defence but they seem to have dispersed and I'm sure he will be starting in the Autumn.
Marland Yarde - Wing (London Irish)
Ear marked by Brian Smith as a player with the potential to win over 50 caps for England, Yarde is a young player with a growing reputation in the game. Another winger with an eye for a finish, the 21 year old has one cap and two tries.
England senior EPS:
Forwards: David Attwood (Bath Rugby), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Alex Corbisiero (Northampton Saints), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Matt Kvesic (Gloucester Rugby), Joe Launchbury (London Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Ben Morgan (Gloucester Rugby), Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), David Wilson (Bath Rugby), Tom Wood (Northampton Saints), Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
Backs: Chris Ashton (Saracens), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Freddie Burns (Gloucester Rugby), Danny Care (Harlequins), Lee Dickson (Northampton Saints), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Ben Foden (Northampton Saints), Alex Goode (Saracens), Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby), Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby), Christian Wade (London Wasps), Marland Yarde (London Irish), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)
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