On reflection as the steam settles from another seismic Ireland performance and victory, it seems remarkable that 2016 had seemingly been written off as one of those 'quiet years' for Irish rugby.
Tim Horan spoke on Off The Ball last night as to how significant a 'grand slam' would be for this Australian outfit; an all-winning tour of Europe is one of the most respected feats in the game down under, not achieved since 1984 - their one and only blemishless excursion to the north (they actually played 18 games that autumn and winter and lost four, but crucially won all four of their international Tests).
Lesser mentioned still in these parts is an Irish clean sweep of the 'big three' from the southern hemisphere. The fixtures don't often align, not to mention the stars.
Had you suggested that Ireland would beat South Africa, New Zealand and Australia back in March of this year, or indeed in any month of most other years, passers-by might have felt compelled to call an ambulance. And yet 2016, for its slow start, saw Ireland complete the clean sweep for the first time in its rugby-playing history.
As hesitantly pointed out by Balls' historian Conor Neville earlier this month, England have in fact achieved it twice; Clive Woodward's World Cup-winning outfit saw off SANZAR in both 2002 and 2003:
England wins v NZ: 1936, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2012
England wins v South Africa: 1969, 1972, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000 (x2), 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
England wins v Australia: 1928, 1958, 1973, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 (x2) 2005, 2007, 2010 (x2), 2013, 2014, 2016 (x3)
France, too, whose record against the All Blacks in particular remains the northern hemisphere's finest, have beaten all three within 12 months, but not in the same calendar year (1993).
2016 would transpire to be Ireland's turn. And so, for all our concern during the Six Nations regarding unattractive, blunt rugby - and poor results, for the most part - Joe Schmidt and Ireland head into 2017 on the back of a 12-month period which will go down as one of the greatest in Irish rugby history. A first ever win in South Africa. A first ever triumph over the All Blacks. And a ballsy victory over the Aussies to boot.
Penny for the thoughts of those who prematurely called for Schmidt's head in the spring.
Additional reporting by Conor Neville.
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