It's over and Ireland may have finished with an uneven win, but many more positive noises than negative are coming from the players. It's a buzzing evening. "Hope you have a beer in your hand", Tadhg Beirne is advised.
“They’re running out in there big time,” says the secondrow, laughing. Ireland is a team that may not be quite where they want to be, but they are satisfied with the journey so far. Celebration seems the right way to end this year’s campaign, optimism for what lays ahead the sensible mood.
“Buzzing. It’s the first trophy for a lot of lads,” says Beirne. “You know, we set the target of winning the Triple Crown. After we lost to France we set the target of coming away from the last two games with bonus points and we achieved it.
“So there’s an incredible buzz around the place. It was a serious effort from the whole squad and everyone is buzzing.”
From a personal point of view it was kind of up and down but I've played five games on the bounce and it's been incredibly enjoyable. Since the first day in camp, it's been like that
The talk since the first match has been steadily guarded, the most complete performance, 29-7 in Aviva Stadium against a fresh Welsh side full of hope. New Irish faces have emerged and maybe too those players have surpassed expectations.
“You know, a highlight would probably be the Wales game,” he says. “I felt we came out really well and played incredibly well in that game again today. Getting to win a trophy at home in front of our own crowd, that’s an incredible achievement.
“From a personal point of view it was kind of up and down but I’ve played five games on the bounce and it’s been incredibly enjoyable. Since the first day in camp, it’s been like that.”
Ireland knew how dangerous Scotland could be in open play with players like Stuart Hogg, gamely running almost every chance he got. Both replacement hooker Rob Herring and fullback Hugo Keenan were forced into the two outstanding tackles of the match by a charging Hogg.
Keenan’s was a masterful piece of thinking man’s rugby on the run and swinging the legs of Hogg into touch before the Scottish captain could dot the ball.
“Yeah, it was an incredible tackle. You know, he’s doing that all the time,” says Beirne. “You can see his work-rate off the ball.
“You might not see that watching at home, but if you’re at a game you’ll see the incredible amount of work he does and he does that at training all the time.
“I’m absolutely delighted for him. It was an incredible tackle and it certainly lifted us as a squad and we went from there.”
And now it is about going from here. New Zealand in three Test matches on the summer tour and new ambitions will be set: a win on New Zealand soil, maybe one of them. Either way, it’s a solid platform.
“Yeah exactly,” says Beirne. “And they’ll be gunning for us after the Autumn game and we’ll be going over there buzzing after how we’ve finished this championship.”
