Six Nations Super Saturday concluded with a huge clash between old rivals in Dublin this evening. The stage was set for the world’s top-ranked team to clinch a memorable Grand Slam on home soil after a fantastic tournament and send out another major warning shot as they try to end their World Cup curse in the autumn. And they did just that with a hard-fought 29-16 triumph, despite a few nervy moments along the way.
Few gave England a prayer of spoiling the party and denying Ireland a fourth clean sweep overall, second in five years and first in this city, with Steve Borthwick’s side drubbed by France in a record defeat at Twickenham in round four. But while they were unable to pull off the sizable upset that could have handed Les Bleus the title in dramatic fashion, there were definite signs of improvement for Borthwick as his team battled valiantly with 14 men after Freddie Steward’s controversial red card on the stroke of half-time.
Ireland weren’t at their fluent best for long stretches, but got the job done thanks to a brace from hooker Dan Sheehan, further tries from Robbie Henshaw and Rob Herring and nine points from the boot of Johnny Sexton, now the Six Nations’ all-time record scorer. Follow reaction to Ireland’s latest Grand Slam success below, with expert analysis from Nick Purewal at the Aviva Stadium.
