Ireland claimed their fourth-ever Grand Slam on Sunday with a 13-point victory over England at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday evening.
Tries from Dan Sheehan (2), Robbie Henshaw, and Rob Herring helped to seal a memorable win on Saturday, marking Ireland's third consecutive win over England.
Andy Farrell's side were hot favorites for the final game of the Six Nations, having beaten Wales, France, Italy, and Scotland in previous weeks.
England, on the other hand, had suffered a humiliating 43-point defeat against France last week.
However, it was England who made all of the early running, taking a deserved 6-0 lead after 14 minutes through the boot of captain Owen Farrell.
Ireland responded with a penalty of their own, which saw captain Johnny Sexton become the all-time leading points scorer in Six Nations history.
The Irish hit the front for the first time after 32 minutes, when hooker Dan Sheehan showed scintillating pace to race over for the game's first try following a perfectly executed set piece.
Sexton converted to give Ireland a 10-6 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
The game's decisive moment arrived on the stroke of halftime when English fullback Freddie Steward was sent off for a head-high challenge on Irish fullback Hugo Keenan. It was a sickening collision that ended Keenan's participation in the game, but many felt that a red card was a harsh decision.
Keenan had stooped to pick up a loose ball and Steward, who turned sideways at the last moment, collided with the Irish fullback's head.
Referee Jaco Peyper ruled that the contact merited a sending-off and gave Steward his marching orders.
Despite their numerical advantage, Ireland struggled to assert their authority on the game in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
It was England who grabbed the first score of the second half, reducing the deficit to one point through an Owen Farrell penalty on 50 minutes.
A visibly nervous Ireland scored a crucial try when Robbie Henshaw crashed over after 61 minutes. Sexton added the extras to leave more than a score between the teams.
Sheehan raced over for his second try of the evening moments later to extend Ireland's lead. Sexton again converted.
England, however, did not go down without a fight and claimed a try of their own through Jamie George to leave just eight points between the teams with eight minutes remaining.
A late Rob Herring try quelled any fears of an England fightback, however, sealing a 13-point win for Ireland and their first Grand Slam since 2018.
🏆 GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS 🏆
World #1 @IrishRugby do it in Dublin! ☘️
We are watching one of the all-time greatest teams. #GuinnessSixNations | #IREvENG pic.twitter.com/pllOCvAaIV
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 18, 2023
It also marked the first time that Ireland had claimed a Grand Slam in Dublin, with their three previous triumphs occurring in Belfast, Cardiff, and London.
Ireland, who are currently the number-one-ranked rugby side in the world, have won 21 of their last 23 matches and each of their last 10 games in a run stretching back to last July.
Attention will now turn to the Rugby World Cup in the fall when Ireland will aim to finally advance past the quarterfinals for the first time in their history.
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