Six Nations: 'Ireland on right path but remain in the chasing pack'

The half-joke doing the rounds after Ireland's autumn clean sweep was delivered with nervous laughter and tinged with genuine fear.

«They're going to mess it all up and win the Grand Slam next year, aren't they?»

Ireland have peaked too early before; found short term success that wasn't sustained.

This is not a precursor to a desperate attempt at claiming Ireland somehow dodged a bullet by not winning the Grand Slam.

They would far rather be in France's shoes, and their task now is to close the considerable, but not insurmountable, gap between themselves and Les Bleus.

Over the course of the Six Nations Ireland proved themselves to be exactly what the final standings say they are: the second best team in the northern hemisphere.

Their campaign was not an extension of the bombastic, thundering win over New Zealand but a functional and generally satisfying eight-week block of work that ought to put them in a good position to keep moving forward.

The point being made by Johnny Sexton and Andy Farrell after their win over Scotland was that there was more to come from the current squad, and the journey remained far from its destination.

You might argue that those inside the walls will always say that, but so would they.

Earlier in the week Sexton offered a reminder of how the team was perceived when things were going badly in the middle of last year's Six Nations, and how at the time he was as convinced as he is now that they were on the right path.

Over the five games Ireland proved they have the capacity to win and ultimately do it convincingly even when they remain far from top gear.

Against Scotland Farrell's side never looked like throwing away a game everyone thought they would win, although had Stuart Hogg fed Sam Johnson on