'We have got some grit and some nerve' - Farrell 'delighted' to sign off with bonus point win

For just over an hour, there was hope of a title, but a clinical French performance saw that hope quenched.

The Aviva Stadium remained open for fans who wished to stay and watch the final game of this year's Guinness Six Nations, with the potential for a trophy presentation under moonlight in Dublin 4.

There were to be no extra celebrations though, France were 25-13 winners against England in a game they never looked like losing, as Ireland had to settle for second place in the table and the consolation prize of a Triple Crown.

There will naturally be disappointment at missing out on the title, but the final report card on Ireland's campaign will be positive overall, with plenty of scope for improvement.

They won four games out of five, and all four of those with bonus points, while their sole defeat away to the eventual champions France saw them score three tries, and finish with a losing bonus point.

Their final game, a 26-5 win against a Scotland, was at times scrappy, with Ireland starting slowly before eventually proving themselves superior.

"Obviously delighted to get the bonus point win and I thought Scotland play as they always do," said head coach Andy Farrell afterwards.

"They are very hard to shake off. They played a very physical game as far as their defence is concerned with the two in the tackle and they stayed tough in the breakdown and were able to get numbers off feet and it was tough to break them down.

"It was a proper Test match because they brought their own intensity to it but we ground out a brilliant win in the end."

While Ireland had control of the game from the moment Dan Sheehan scored the opening try on 16 minutes, they played error-strewn rugby at times, albeit errors that were arising from taking