Ireland six nations champions!

[fourthirtythree]

Bonkers match!
as ROG put it, we have been critical but the level of performance from this team is consistently excellent

[Leinster Exile]

Good god my heart is fcked. I've not seen anything like that before.

Congratulations to Ireland. Back to back six nations for ireland and Schmidt. It's a long time since the dark dark 90s

[simonokeeffe]

Good god my heart is fcked. I've not seen anything like that before.

Congratulations to Ireland. Back to back six nations for ireland and Schmidt. It's a long time since the dark dark 90s

dont think I missed a home game in the 90s and yeah dark times

think extra relevance has to go to this being our first non ww2 assisted championship defence

but if Dennis O'Brien can pay Joe enough to renew his contract I will install water meters with my teeth

[Made Of Ale]

We deserved it. Not much between the top three teams but Wales lost at home to England and England were well beaten away to us and we lost to Wales so it all evens out. Said it in the other thread but I have never seen a day of rugby like today. Fantastic and congratulations to all concerned, particularly Wales and England. And us.

Moi je suis content.

[munster#1]

Great to see the big man become Ireland's most successful and oldest captain in what could be his last 6N. Now to top it off with a rwc.

It would be hard to write a better end to the tale.

[enby]

Well deserved trophy for a really good team

[enby]

Great to see the big man become Ireland's most successful and oldest captain in what could be his last 6N. Now to top it off with a rwc.

It would be hard to write a better end to the tale.

in fairness to him he has been immense for Ireland throughout this season both in AIs and 6N

[munster#1]

Great to see the big man become Ireland's most successful and oldest captain in what could be his last 6N. Now to top it off with a rwc.

It would be hard to write a better end to the tale.

in fairness to him he has been immense throughout for Ireland this season both in AIs and 6N

Hopefully he will see out his contract and try win the grandslam next season.

He has been great for Ireland since being made captain. His work rate is unreal when you consider his age. Most second rows change their style to match their age, but he hasn't needed to.

[nc6000]

Good god my heart is fcked. I've not seen anything like that before.

Congratulations to Ireland. Back to back six nations for ireland and Schmidt. It's a long time since the dark dark 90s

dont think I missed a home game in the 90s and yeah dark times

think extra relevance has to go to this being our first non ww2 assisted championship defence

but if Dennis O'Brien can pay Joe enough to renew his contract I will install water meters with my teeth

Why would we need money from him? Bribing refs would be more his thing anyway.

[Leinster Exile]

The 42 ie summed it up perfectly "I want to be buried with today’s rugby when I die."

[fourthirtythree]

While it is common for coaches to deflect, correctly, praise for them onto players, Schmidt does it really well. Like after the victory over Northampton pointing out Sextons contribution, tonight his words about Paul O'Connell, and how he led the recovery from last weekend, were fantastic. I just wish everyone didn't keep asking him about retiring after captaining Ireland to back to back six nations. Or Schmidt about the World Cup.

Some days are for enjoying. And it was all the sweeter for the welsh putting it up to us, us responding, and England nearly achieving the inconceivable* . That England France game is a legend already.





* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3sLhnDJJn0

[waterboy]

That England France game has to be the most bonkers game of rugby I've ever seen. Fantastic last day of matches after a fairly lacklustre 6 Nations.

Back to back champions

[munster#1]

Completely delighted that we won yet again. 3 times in a relatively short length of time is great.

Going forward in the championship I would love to see a bonus point system introduced. The rugby on display today was brilliant and exciting, something that was lacking from the first 4 rounds.

[Oldschool]

Ah but ya see when EOS' teams were winning Triple Crowns all over the place his achievements were simply dismissed and yet Joe Schmidt's teams having won back to back championships have singularly failed to win the Triple Crown on either occasion. That wouldn't have happened in my day when Tom Kiernan's team won Ireland's first Triple Crown in something like nearly thirty years.
Isn't that right Popey, you weren't there.

[fourthirtythree]

Just like George Hook saying that we must change the laws of the game to ensure the game looks more like.... What we just watched, I don't understand that thinking. Winner takes all competitions always have phony wars and periods of conservatism. It's funny that the system which supposedly rewarded the most conservative play has delivered the most mental final weekend. You simply cannot, and should not, expect that week in week out.

The defence in the England game was a joke. Great game to watch because of the drama, but actually pretty inconsistent quality.

[Avenger]

Going forward in the championship I would love to see a bonus point system introduced.

That's never going to happen. You could have a scenario where a grand slam winner wouldn't win the championship.

[johng]

Going forward in the championship I would love to see a bonus point system introduced.

That's never going to happen. You could have a scenario where a grand slam winner wouldn't win the championship.

There are many ways round that. possibly the simplest is a couple of BPs for a slam.

[munster#1]

Going forward in the championship I would love to see a bonus point system introduced.

That's never going to happen. You could have a scenario where a grand slam winner wouldn't win the championship.

I agree that it is unlikely to happen any time soon, but Imo it should. bar today, this was the most boring championship ever.

On the grand slam issue, this is completely irirrelevant, the grandslam is a concept, there are no additional prizes for it, you don't get a bigger cup. It is purely bragging rights.

I would much prefer the game to change from being a defensive game an offensive game.

[cwebber82]

Great to see the big man become Ireland's most successful and oldest captain in what could be his last 6N. Now to top it off with a rwc.

It would be hard to write a better end to the tale.

in fairness to him he has been immense for Ireland throughout this season both in AIs and 6N

To think some people were writing him off after The Champions Cup games last December and January. Ridiculous.

Would have him as Ireland's player of the championship followed closely by Heaslip, Sexton and Murray.

[suisse]

O'Connell was immense. What a f%~k? leader.

Heaslip had a superb tournament too. I really hope that's the end of the Houdini sh!t on other fora. World class performances and he really threw his body in front of attackers. Legendary stuff.

Delighted for Jared Payne to get that try. Some of Murray and Sexton's kicks were executed perfectly.

Great to ser Seany back to that level too.

I trusted Schmidt to get it right after Wales. Telfer is a respected figure entitled to his opinions but I wouldn't swap JS for any coach in the world. Back to back titles for the first time in 200 years following huge success at club level. Yeah, maybe he is a messiah Jim.