It was already one o'clock in the morning in Lyon, but the fans on the last tram were still giddy as they headed back to the city, still in the sugar rush. At the end of an exciting Six Nations, France and England had treated those in the Groupama Stadium to a ferocious, fantastic final to conclude another fine edition of this spring spectacle.
How is this championship doing? After the third round the suggestion was that it would disappear, with Ireland heading for back-to-back victories and possibly a bit of history, with no one seemingly able to match them. But it is rarely that simple in the Six Nations. England's defeat to Twickenham meant a final weekend with plenty to play for and ultimately Andy Farrell's side crept over the line rather than crossed it.
The enduring brilliance of this tournament is partly due to how difficult it is to win. It is no coincidence that no team has won consecutive grand slams since the arrival of Italy. Beating the top teams in Europe, home and away, without a misstep is and should be extremely difficult.
And it only seems to get harder. Ireland's name will be etched on the trophy, but it is Gonzalo Quesada's Azzurri who are the big winners of the campaign. For as long as Six Nations have competed, limited to the dreaded Sunday and too often beaten by a bonus point, Italy has shown in the past two months that it is no longer a side simply capable of causing a shock on their day, but a team of confidence, class and dedication, with a growing maturity about their young squad. Two wins should have been three, and England were not far from defeat either. Their rivals certainly can no longer take a meeting for granted.
In retrospect, that makes Ireland's clean sheet in the second round all the better. Their late stumbles may have taken the shine off Ireland's performance, but two titles in a row should not be sniffed at, confirming that this side is among the best in European history. The emergence of Jack Crowley to fill Johnny Sexton's boots answered the big question ahead of the tournament, and now it will be a matter of getting the squad ready for Farrell's sabbatical ahead of the British & Irish Lions tour next year.
England and France had some fears midway through the tournament but will look ahead positively, although Scotland's future is a little harder to analyze. It was encouraging to stay in trouble with Ireland for so long, but they really should have a title decider in Dublin. A team short on silverware cannot afford to miss opportunities like they did against Italy.
The uproar in Wales was a predictable theme given the dark background outside Warren Gatland's team. Their club's struggles translate onto the international stage and result in a second wooden spoon of the Six Nations era. Gatland believes his hard core will be better for the experience, but fans are probably right to wonder whether the scars will prevent a talented group from getting good.
Each country created a lot of tension. What about Wales' resurrection in Cardiff on the opening weekend, with Scotland pulling off a huge shock by bursting out of the coffin just after the final nail seemed to have been hammered in? Or, a week later, Sam Skinner's effort that wasn't, a failure to find footage that convincingly shows a score that was ultimately crucial to the outcome of the tournament?
The pumping pistons of Duhan van der Merwe, James Lowe and Tommaso Menoncello were a sight to behold, while Ange Capuozzo, Uini Atonio and Ryan Baird showed that rugby remains a game for all sizes.
And it's all available to watch via terrestrial television, which may not be the case for much longer. This was the penultimate year of the BBC and ITV's shared broadcast deal in the UK, with tentative discussions already underway over what the future television deal for the tournament will look like.
Commercially, the men's Six Nations remains a real heavyweight at a time when some other rugby properties are struggling to gain traction. With a revamped Nations Championship on the horizon, the thinking is that a bundling of properties may make sense to try and land a mega deal at a major subscription service with the kind of deep pockets their free-to-air counterparts lack.
What that could mean for rugby's biggest championship is unclear, but a total shutdown of terrestrial television would certainly be unwise. Ollie Lawrence spoke well after England's defeat on Saturday about how watching Manu Tuilagi as a youngster had helped him on a rugby journey that led to him teaming up with the center in what could have been his final moments at Test level. The widest possible audience is certainly desirable to help a child in Cardiff, Coventry or Kirkcaldy realize the same dreams.
The key decision will be made by Tom Harrison, a man of mystery in his first 11 months as Six Nations chief executive, ahead of a much-anticipated media briefing last week. Things ended messily at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for Harrison, but he retains some serious influence in media rights, having forged a successful career after ending his cricket career.
"I think visibility in any sporting environment, especially in a developmental setting, is very important," Harrison said Wednesday. "The free-to-air space is all about balancing revenues - when you look at sports as a whole. It's about the reach and relevance of the revenue and balancing those things. In any case, there is a requirement to be - very, very carefully - about decisions about how to shift that balance.
"In cricket we moved it back to free-to-air, we moved free-to-air back into space. Rugby has a huge free-to-air component, especially the men's Six Nations, and also the women's Six Nations. We understand the role that plays in bringing the game to new fans. It is very important to make it available in the future. We will have to consider that as an important question mark for us."
