While the last round of games was notable for the skill and guile on show from the Six Nations’ star players, perhaps the eye-catching feature of this week’s action was the importance of power and physicality.
That theme was personified by England prop Sarah Bern, who broke Ireland’s will on Saturday as she ran in two tries to silence the critics who railed against her post-match TikTok dance a fortnight ago.
Elsewhere, Italy earned a famous win over an out-of-sorts Scotland, a day after France proved too much for Wales.
The narratives surrounding this year’s championship are narrowing to a fine point, with England’s potential title-decider against France at Twickenham looming in the not-too-distant future.
Here’s everything that happened in an action-packed weekend.
TOP STORY: England dent Irish dreams
All the talk heading into Saturday’s clash in Cork was about whether Ireland’s improvement over the past 12 months would prove enough to worry John Mitchell’s imperious England side. After all, Ireland had beaten world champions New Zealand at WXV1 in October and routed Italy in Parma to record a first away win in the Six Nations since 2021.
And they started well, rebuffing the Red Roses’ vaunted attack with a show of gutsy defence that seemed as if it could trouble England’s 22-match winning streak. Roared on by a record home crowd, Ireland’s efforts paid off when Amee-Leigh Costigan put them in front with the country’s first try against England in more than six years.
But fast-forward to full-time and England had crashed over the whitewash seven times and extended their winning run over their opponents beyond the 10-year mark.
