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Record-breaking Ireland set up an all-out assault on the Six Nations Grand Slam by claiming a 28-8 bonus-point win over Scotland in Dublin.
And with revitalised France later beating an uninspired England 22-16 on Saturday it meant Joe Schmidt’s Irish have been crowned champions with a match to spare.
Jacob Stockdale bagged a brace to become the first Irishman to score six tries in a single campaign in Five and Six Nations history, as Ireland moved within one win of just a third-ever clean sweep.
Conor Murray and Sean Cronin also crossed to secure the bonus-point victory to help set a new Ireland record with an 11th consecutive victory, their winning run dating back to last term’s 13-9 win over England in Dublin.
Scotland showed glimpses of the form that saw them beat England in the previous round of matches, with Blair Kinghorn’s try keeping them just about in the hunt, but a lack of accuracy at crucial moments proved costly.
Ireland’s victory moved them on to 19 points from four matches, meaning England needed to register a bonus-point victory over France in Paris to keep their hopes of a third successive Six Nations title alive.
Eddie Jones’ side knew they needed to score four tries to stay in with a shout but they never threatened to pull of the feat, not least as both sides were level at 9-9 at half-time with all the points coming from penalties.
And a penalty try for France awarded on 49 minutes after Anthony Watson saw yellow for a high tackle on Benjamin Fall on the England try line helped France secure a narrow win.
Johnny May scored a try for England with six minutes remaining to set up a nervous finale at the Stade de France but a late penalty from Maxime Machenaud saw France hold on for a famous victory.
Australian Jones’ record as head coach now stands at 24 wins from 27 Tests, but two of those three defeats have come in the last two matches with Scotland and now France pointing to a team that has entered reverse.
Ireland now travel to Twickenham on a St Patrick’s Day next weekend looking to secure only a third Grand Slam in the country’s history.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.