'Seconds from title but Ireland can take positives'
· Yahoo Sports
For Ireland, there was elation, renewed hope and finally disappointment as a Six Nations championship for the ages drew to a heart-stopping conclusion.
On a drama-packed Super Saturday, Ireland fired the first shot, beating Scotland 43-21 to win the Triple Crown and move three points clear of France in the title tussle.
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There were shades of 2022. Four years ago, Ireland beat Scotland on the final day to clinch the Triple Crown and stay in the title hunt.
On that occasion, for Andy Farrell to win his first championship as Ireland boss, England needed to beat France in Paris in the late kick-off.
But there was no late slip from Les Bleus on that particular evening, a 25-13 win sealing the Grand Slam and leaving Ireland second with four wins from five.
England never looked like beating France in 2022. This year it was a different story, but with the same ending.
With the Irish media watching on from a packed Aviva Stadium press conference room, England led a head-spinning game 46-45 as the clock ticked into the red.
But after they coughed up a late penalty, nerveless France full-back Thomas Ramos drilled his kick between the posts to cap an extraordinary day and deny Ireland a third title in four years.
The wild denouement to events in the French capital will sting for Ireland, but given that their campaign started with a miserable loss in Paris, Farrell and his players will not overlook the resilience they showed to take the title race down to the wire.
Like in 2022, a solitary defeat for Ireland in Paris proved decisive this time around.
Four years ago, just as is the case now, the teams were 18 months out from a World Cup.
That 2022 Six Nations was a precursor to Ireland's best run under Farrell: the series win in New Zealand and a Grand Slam before heartache on the biggest stage at the hands of the All Blacks.
Whether this year's campaign paves the way for a similarly thrilling odyssey remains to be seen, but the stirring reaction to their miserable February night in Paris suggests Farrell has his side on the right track.
Bouncing back from Paris pain
Ireland kept themselves in the title mix with a stunning 42-21 win away to England [Getty Images]Ireland entered the Six Nations with plenty of uncertainty.
Following a mixed autumn campaign bookended by losses to New Zealand and South Africa, Farrell's preparations were not helped by injuries to key players.
Without Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Ryan Baird and his three first-choice loose-head props in Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle, concerns about Ireland's trajectory intensified when Farrell admitted his side lacked "intent" in the 36-14 reverse in Paris.
With a response needed, Ireland were pushed all the way at home by Italy. They carved out a 20-13 win, but muted full-time celebrations after failing to secure a bonus point portrayed a side who knew they had much work ahead of them.
Yet if Ireland laboured through the first two games, the manner in which they stormed Twickenham and hammered England shifted the narrative.
In one of their most complete performances under Farrell, a rampant Irish attack ran in five tries to inject feelgood factor into the campaign before two final games at home.
And while a spirited Wales stopped Ireland from registering another emphatic win, Saturday's finale stirred memories of Twickenham.
Ireland traded blows with Scotland before surging clear in the final quarter at an electric Aviva Stadium to ask the question of France.
New faces and taking chances
Rejuvenated centre Stuart McCloskey was a standout performer for Ireland [Getty Images]Of course, Ireland would not have been in position to win silverware on Saturday had it not been for the performances of Farrell's seasoned Test animals and the crop of emerging talent.
Over the past 12 months, Farrell has fielded numerous questions about an ageing squad in need of fresh blood.
But to the coach's credit, he has started to address it. Several of the 35 players Farrell used across the five games point to the future.
Jamie Osborne, 24, started all five games at full-back and had a superb tournament while deputising for Keenan.
Farrell also handed debuts to Edwin Edogbo (23) and Nathan Doak (24), while 24-year-old Darragh Murray staked his claim for a starting second-row role in the future with a try-scoring Six Nations debut.
But perhaps Ireland's championship was defined by players seizing a long-awaited chance.
Tommy O'Brien scored three tries in as many games. Nick Timoney, 30, made a huge impression.
Rob Baloucoune, who has added electrifying pace to Ireland's backline, ended a breakout championship with three tries and the Rising Player award.
Erstwhile tight-head prop Tom O'Toole has been reborn at loose-head.
Then there is Stuart McCloskey. Having spent much of his Test career down the pecking order, his buccaneering performances in midfield have been a joy to behold.
The ever-present Ulsterman led Ireland in carries (74), offloads (eight), try assists (six), defenders beaten (20) and post-contact metres (105).
"We saw another amazing finish from him today," Farrell said on Saturday of Baloucoune, who hadn't played for Ireland since 2022 before the Italy game.
"Similar to Stu [McCloskey], to deliver and go on to the next one and be consistently good is hard to do at this level when it's new to you, and he has grown massively in confidence."
Several of Farrell's most trusted on-field lieutenants have stepped up, too. James Ryan was excellent before injury ruled him out of the Scotland game, while Tadhg Beirne and Josh van der Flier have looked rejuvenated.
Captain Caelan Doris led by example against Scotland delivering comfortably his best performance since returning from shoulder surgery last year.
Crowley back in situ
Jack Crowley has re-established himself as Ireland's first-choice out-half [Getty Images]Farrell will also welcome the lack of noise around fly-half at the moment.
In November, Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast started two games apiece, but Crowley has settled the debate for now.
Crowley was brought in for the England game after Prendergast's struggles against France and Italy and hasn't looked back.
Excellent at Twickenham, Crowley scored a try against Wales, and while he missed a few kicks, he marshalled the attack superbly against Scotland and kicked 13 points.
"I thought he was outstanding," Farrell said of Crowley's efforts against the Scots.
"He committed to his performance in every aspect.
"It wasn't just the goal-kicking or the ball in the air, but you could see he committed to every aspect of the game and led the team really well."
What's next?
Ireland return to action in July for the inaugural Nations Championship, with Tests against Australia (Sydney), Japan (venue TBC) and New Zealand (Auckland) before hosting Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in Dublin in November.
Ireland have lost three in a row to the All Blacks and were turned over by the Springboks in the autumn.
Claiming the scalp of at least one of the southern hemisphere's giants before a World Cup year is likely to be uppermost in Farrell's thoughts.
For now, though, Ireland are left to reflect on a largely positive Six Nations campaign. They delivered another piece of silverware, only very narrowly missed out on the big prize, and provided the foundation for the rest of the journey to next year's World Cup in Australia.