Ireland had started the weekend top of the Six Nations table after three wins out of three during the opening weeks of the tournament.
They ended it unassailably top with a fourth, and a real shot at the Grand Slam.
“It is a great achievement for Ireland to be champions with a week to go,” said former captain Paul O’Connell.
Thanks to England’s lack of try-scoring against Wales and Scotland, Joe Schmidt’s men knew they could leave England needing to score four tries in Paris just to keep their hopes of a title alive.
Despite a spirited performance by the Scots in Dublin, rarely the scene of happy hunting for them, Ireland ran in the requisite four tries thanks to Jacob Stockdale’s first-half double and Conor Murray and Sean Cronin dotting down behind rolling mauls.
But England appeared far more focused on simply trying to win in Paris, taking points from the kicking tee when required and reaching half-time tied at 9-9 without any tries to their name.
And it was only in the dying minutes of the game that Jonny May crossed over to score the first, one that only served to reduce the margin to six points.
Eddie Jones’ men did manage to pile on some late pressure, twice having five-metre lineouts that could have resulted in tries.
But they could not get over and in truth, the title had gone long ago. Ireland might not have popped the champagne corks before the final whistle, but England’s attitude and lack of discipline throughout meant they did not have to wait long.
However, the celebrations are unlikely to be too wild. They have just a week to recover from a testing encounter against Scotland, the scoreline masking the challenge Gregor Townsend’s men brought with them, and a Grand Slam is a prize too big to leave to chance.
Even the Irish president Michael D. Higgins knew the party line in his congratulatory message.
“As president of Ireland, may I congratulate the Irish senior rugby team on winning the Six Nations Championship,” he wrote.
“I want to pay tribute to the players’ resilience, skill and commitment, and wish the team, along with Joe Schmidt and IRFU President Philip Orr, the best of luck for next week’s game in Twickenham.”
For England, there will be no celebration. Instead, after two weeks of sleepless nights, Jones will have to engage in yet more soul-searching.
“It’s a learning period for us, we’re struggling at the moment, so we’re always looking to learn and make sure we’re stronger next time we play,” Jones said, tacitly acknowledging that this will either make or break his team just 18 months out from the Rugby World Cup.
He added: “We’re about two or three per cent from where we needed to be today. We were beaten at the breakdown,we gave away too many penalties, and when we had the momentum we didn’t score, whereas they did.”
And he promised a reaction.
“The game is changing at the moment which will enforce some selection changes. If you don’t have power, it’s very hard to get momentum,” Jones said.
Ireland would do well to beware the wounded animal.
