From the archives: Irish 1948 'Grand Slam' revisited

Ireland are on the brink of just a fourth-ever Grand Slam and the first to be clinched in Dublin.

The 1948 championship win was secured in Ravenhill, Belfast, while the 2009 and 2018 versions were claimed with final-round victories in Cardiff and London.

Dublin is set for the mother of all parties if Andy Farrell's men can beat England today.

Here we look back at that famous day 75 years ago when Ireland, captained by Karl Mullen, beat Wales in the final round, adding to wins over England and Scotland earlier in the tournament.

It's clear that the 'Grand Slam' wasn't en vogue back in 1948. Poor France. That phrase was coined later on and didn't feature in any reportage.

It was all about the "mythical" Triple Crown.

Ireland's 6-3 win, secured by tries from Barney Mullan and JC Daly, was hailed in headlines as "Rugby Triple Crown after 49 Years" in the Irish Independent.

"Jerseys Torn Off Rugby Players for Souvenirs" was the top line in the Irish Press on the following Monday.

"Over 30,000 people, most of them from Dublin, streamed into Belfast in eight special trains and hundreds of cars," the Independent said.

In the quarter of a mile queue "Welsh and Irish supporters...exhibited a keen rivalry in their efforts to display their emblems in the most conspicuous places".

"The conditions were ideal with no wind or bright sun when the Irish captain C Mullen kicked off a few minutes early amid a continuous roar of cheering," wrote the Belfast Newsletter.

"Kyle was as usual the master tactician, and was always there to help with a kick to touch," added 'CRITICUS' in the comment section.

"A Welsh side is always dangerous because it is clever but this side had really no answer to the Irish forwards."

The win was greeted by a crowd invasion