Autumn internationals 2016 verdict: Guardian writers' highs and lows

Our rugby union writers select their best player, team, try and match of the autumn – and choose the worst performance and gripe of the series

Team of the autumn

Michael Aylwin England. Either them or Ireland. And, no, that doesn’t mean they’re better than New Zealand, just that their performances were the story of the autumn. In the end, completion of unbeaten year trumps historic victory. We’ll remember England’s win over Australia the longest, but don’t underestimate the quality of that win over a Fiji team that was pretty much a Top 14/Premiership select XV, nor beating Argentina with 14 or 13 men for 75 minutes.

Andy Bull Ireland. As well as England did to win all four Tests they played it has to be Ireland, simply because they beat New Zealand. It was only the All Blacks’ fourth defeat the last five years, and it snapped an 18-game winning streak, the longest in the history of the sport.

Related: Autumn internationals: All Blacks still top but southern powers feel Test fatigue | Paul Rees

Robert Kitson Ireland. Beating the All Blacks in Chicago was not just a result for the ages but a spellbinding performance. While England may have racked up four autumn wins they did not produce an 80-minute effort of equal intensity.

Gerard Meagher England. It has to be after four wins from four matches. There seems to be a fair bit of room for improvement but who cares if they continue to beat what’s in front of them and show this kind of resilience. Notable mentions for Ireland and their performance in Chicago, New Zealand for reasserting themselves in Dublin and a swashbuckling Australia side who found themselves on the wrong end of some rather generous refereeing at Twickenham.

Paul Rees Ireland. They beat the All Blacks, and by taking them on rather than trying to stop them, before overcoming adversity and Australia.

Player of the autumn

MA Conor Murray. This is the battle of the No9s. As England and Ireland vie for team of the autumn, so Ben Youngs and Murray vie for the player. Youngs was the more consistent (Murray’s kicking was a bit off in the return match against the All Blacks), but Murray’s performance in Chicago was one for the ages. All four home nations have live contenders for the Lions at No9

AB Billy Vunipola. Prolific as he is when he plays, he was even more conspicuous in his absence last Saturday. Nathan Hughes had an excellent match standing in for him at No8, but England still looked a lesser side without Vunipola’s ball-carrying.

Related: Attentions turn to Lions tour with England and Ireland top of the class | Paul Rees

RK Billy Vunipola. Closely pursued by a couple of twinkling Irish stars in Conor Murray and Tadhg Furlong but England’s No8 is developing into a game-shaping presence to make even New Zealanders envious.

GM Jonny Gray. One day he’ll miss a tackle again but considering he has not in 750 minutes and has reportedly missed just six since he started playing for Scotland it may be a long wait. He made 24 against Australia and also scored a try, has shown a quite remarkable work-rate throughout and he can play too. Warren Gatland will not want for second-row depth when choosing his Lions locks but Gray will surely make the cut.

PR Robbie Henshaw. He failed to complete Ireland’s series because of injury, but he came of age, a No12 who combines bustle with initiative

Try of the autumn

MA Kenki Fukuoka for Japan against Wales. Argentina’s second against England for artistic merit, but it was scored against 13 men. New Zealand’s first in Dublin was a sustained symphony of excellence and intent. But Japan’s second against Wales was executed with such confidence and precision, featuring some players who have barely entered the international arena, that it serves yet further notice of a growing force in the game.

AB In the five games I saw live, Marland Yarde’s against Australia. Not for his finish so much as Jonathan Joseph’s nous in the buildup, when he made the split second decision not to run or pass but instead thread a little chip through an eye-of-the-needle-gap in Australia’s line.

Related: England 37-21 Australia: how the players at Twickenham rated

RK Slightly wind-assisted because England were down to 13 men at the time but Argentina’s length-of-the-field score finished off by the excellent Santiago Cordero early in the second-half was an absolute cracker.

GM Tempting to say Kuridrani’s stunning finish against France but, considering it probably should not have counted, Kenki Fukuoka’s effort against Wales leaves the biggest imprint. The pace and accuracy with which Japan moved the ball to the left wing was not only impressive in itself but the ponderousness of the Welsh side they were up against only served to emphasise its quality.

PR Santiago Cordero for Argentina against England at Twickenham. A sweeping, fluent length of the field movement that offered a reminder of the Pumas’ potential.

Best match

MA Ireland v New Zealand. The Chicago edition, obviously, although the Dublin return was pretty special too. England-Australia threatened to hit the heights while it was close, and the Wallabies’ battles with Scotland and Ireland will live long in the retelling. But none shook us to the core like those faraway scenes from Soldier Field.

AB Ireland 40-29 New Zealand. So compelling that pretty much every last person in my carriage on the late train out of Cardiff after Wales v Australia gathered around a stranger’s iPhone to watch a dodgy feed of the final few minutes.

RK New Zealand losing at Soldier Field is hard to beat but for sheer final whistle euphoria it was a toss-up between Italy beating South Africa and Germany defeating Uruguay. The world of rugby grows ever more competitive.

GM Ireland 40-29 New Zealand. A blistering start from Ireland, the inevitable riposte from the All Blacks and wherewithal from Joe Schmidt’s side to keep it together at the end. The figure of eight tribute to Anthony Foley before kick-off was poignant – there was also a lovely Munster banner in the crowd that read “God took Axel to tackle Jonah” – and as it was, inspirational.

PR Ireland and New Zealand in Chicago, and not just because of the shock result; a match compelling for its rawness and skill.

Worst performance of the autumn

MA South Africa. Take your pick. The Italy defeat was the most shocking, so let’s go for that, but there is a serious concern here. The financial power in England and France has torn Pacific Island rugby apart and now it’s moving on to the next. South Africa have been stripped bare. Australia are wobbling. New Zealand are holding out. For now. But not even they are above this particular menace to rugby’s global balance

AB South Africa, who looked like a shadow of themselves all tour long. They lost all three matches they played, and in Florence went down to Italy for the very first time in their history. They’ve a long, hard road ahead.

RK Not difficult. Wales were dire against Australia in their opening November Test, although the Springboks have seldom looked more beatable than over the past month.

GM The South Africa Rugby president Mark Alexander. The Springboks run him pretty close, defeat to Italy was a new low and their performance against a pretty poor Wales side was dreadful, but when the president of the union, on two occasions releases damning statements within minutes of full time it is clear that problems run deeper than the field of play.

PR South Africa thought they could not get any lower after losing in Italy but managed it the following week in Cardiff, identifiable as Springboks only because of their kit. The Test game is too small for them to wither.

Gripe of the series

MA The adoption of talent from the Pacific Islands. Not so much a gripe, more a respectful acknowledgement. We live in a global village, and the Vunipolas and Faletaus of this world no doubt feel as British as they do Tongan. But teams up here are increasingly benefiting from raw materials that come from somewhere else. The least we can do is change the qualification laws back to the way they were and not tie players to one nation. When their adoptive countries have done with these guys, let them play for the countries of their forefathers. And if that means a half-Scottish, half-Welsh player, say, gets to switch mid-career from Wales to Scotland, so be it. In fact, good.

AB Twickenham has been in good voice all autumn, but it’s just a shame that so many fans there seem to think they can’t support their own team without calling for the referee to send off the opposition’s players.

RK A fairer revenue share agreement for visiting Test teams has to be a priority. The disparity in financial muscle between major European nations and their Pacific Island visitors is increasingly vast.

GM A good few. England and Wales wearing money-spinning away kits at home, inconsistent refereeing – in particular Jaco Peyper’s contrasting approaches in Dublin and at Twickenham did not sit well – and Australia playing two matches outside of the World Rugby window which denied them access to their overseas-based players; putting it bluntly, the gulf in quality between Nick Phipps and Will Genia is vast and may well have made all the difference on Saturday. The pittance the Fiji players received for their Twickenham outing is also troubling but to call it a gripe seems trivial so of the rest, Genia’s absence rankled most.

PR The value of the autumn internationals has fallen with the season in the south as long as the north’s, and more demanding on players in terms of travel. Series in June and November short-change spectators; take out Ireland’s games against New Zealand and Australia and the Wallabies’ first half performances against Wales and England, and the southern hemisphere left an imperceptible imprint. And time should be up for exploitative fourth internationals.