...and won the Six Nations Grand Slam

On paper, it might look as if “the third Grand Slam in Ireland’s history was won in a nerve-shreddingly close game”, said Stephen Jones in The Sunday Times. But the 24-15 scoreline against England last Saturday hardly does justice to their victory. They’d already sealed the Six Nations before their last game, yet still showed “the perfect mix of rampage and clinical play”. In winning all five of their matches, they proved to be “way ahead as the world’s secondbest team”, behind only New Zealand.

This is “the greatest of all Irish rugby teams”, said David Walsh in the same paper. In the past, Ireland prevailed through “belligerence, spirit, savvy”. But this season, for the first time, they have been utterly clinical. At key moments – “just before half-time, just before fulltime” – they have seized their opportunities to score. Ireland’s success is all the more remarkable because they were missing 13 players through injury at the start of the competition, said Rick Broadbent in The Times. Yet they “added fresh talent” to the side with remarkable ease. Before this tournament, 21-year-old wing Jacob Stockdale had made just four starts; he went on to become the first man to score seven tries in a Six Nations campaign. Still, the “heartbeat” of the side is a pair of veterans: 32-year-old Johnny Sexton and 28-yearold Conor Murray. For a “bloody-minded, bloodynosed” fly-half, no one can match Sexton; Murray is “the most complete scrum-half in rugby”. And their coach, Joe Schmidt, is undoubtedly the greatest “in Irish history”, said Daniel Schofield in The Daily Telegraph. In just five years at the helm, the New Zealander has lifted three Six Nations crowns. Famed for his obsessive attention to detail, he has been criticised for being “too strict and structured”. But his methods ensure the squad perform their roles with “absolute clarity”.