Ireland prove defence and discipline don't always match

Through three games of the Guinness Six Nations, the picture painted is one of Irish dominance.

The defending champions have maximum points so far with three bonus-point wins from three, while their 15 tries is more than double that of the next best scorers, with Scotland and Wales scoring seven each.

Aside from Ireland, defence has been trumping attack in this championship. Of the five other sides, only Wales have picked up a try bonus-point in the opening three rounds, doing so in their 27-26 defetat to Scotland.

Ireland's dominance of the so far is such that a win of any kind away to England on 9 March will give them an almost insurmountable lead at the top of the table. A bonus-point victory would see them crowned champions with a game to spare.

Merely winning the title would feel like an anti-climax though, given how comfortable the first three wins have been.

No team have won back to back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era. Andy Farrell's side have their eyes on that piece of history.

In their incredible run of form over the last two years, their attack has rightly been lauded for its pace, variety and ruthlessness, but it's been allowed to flourish by a miserly defence.

In three games in this championship, Ireland have conceded just 24 points in total, contributing to a points difference of +84. With Scotland next best on +6, it's effectively worth an extra point on the table.

Under Simon Easterby's guidance, Ireland's defence has consistently held its own. In their last 13 Six Nations games, they've conceded just 13 tries. For context, the next best defence in that time is France, who have given up 28.

"Our defence is top drawer, there's no doubt about that. It has been for quite some time now," Farrell said after