A Grand Slam in the Six Nations is always impressive, and for Ireland, their third would have tasted all the sweeter after England’s shortcomings handed them the title on a silver platter.

It’s hard to grasp that almost four years have passed since the boys in green’s last Six Nations victory — the small matter of a global pandemic putting the world on hold and forcing sporting events behind closed doors didn’t help either.

But having beaten Wales comprehensively in round one of this year’s competition, the Irish can dream of another title and bragging rights once again.

The 29-7 win over an admittedly depleted Welsh side, missing players with 700 combined international caps, will certainly do a world of good for this current team under Andy Farrell.

It’s a great start but consistency must be shown in order to best the likes of France and reign supreme come mid-March.

Victory exceeded fans’ expectations, as the side’s chances of winning the Six Nations skyrocketed in SkyBet online betting. But they are still some ways away from matching the achievements of 2018’s Grand Slam.

Indeed, it was a win over the French that really set the wheels in motion, with Johnny Sexton kicking all of Ireland’s points through four penalties and a dramatic drop-goal at the Stade de France, snatching a 15-13 victory.

Italy was next in line on home soil and was comfortably dispatched, although they did lose flanker Josh van der Flier through a nasty injury that would end up keeping him out for the rest of the competition.

With just British opposition left in their way, it seemed inevitable that Ireland was to complete their route and see off Wales and Scotland to set up a showpiece final match at Twickenham — all the more poignant that it took place on St. Patrick’s day.

At moments during the 28-8 win over the Scots, you could see the team visibly believe they could achieve the remarkable feat, although Joe Schmidt did his best to remain composed. The champagne was on the ice, but nothing was set in stone until the final whistle.

Eddie Jones’ England were victims of their own high expectations. While possessing a strong team, they were still a far cry from the Irish in terms of ability and team continuity.

You could see the side bonding with each passing victory, and after Garry Ringrose’s try gave them the lead in the first half, Ireland ran out 24-15 winners — completing the Grand Slam and lifting the Six Nations as an overjoyed Schmidt heaped on the praise for his side.

“I’m massively proud of everyone today. It was a ferocious Test match and words can’t describe how we feel having won today.” He said: “We had to make every moment count and try to build as close to a perfect 80 minutes as we could. We showed what we were made of today.

“I thought our boys showed they can deliver in the big moments on a number of occasions. They worked incredibly hard and merited the win. We showed a little bit of class where we opened them up and at the other end of the pitch it was pure courage.”