Six Nations Winner 2015: Results, Table and Reaction After Round 5 Fixtures
Saturday will go down as one of the greatest shows ever in northern hemisphere rugby union history, as Ireland captured the Six Nations championship for the third time in six years.
Their 40-10 victory over Scotland was enough to see the Shamrock cross the line, as England and Wales both put on high-scoring performances in their matches.
The Welsh had defeated Italy in Rome at the start of the day by a huge 61-20 to give themselves a viable chance of capturing the title.
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But after Ireland's resilient effort against a below-par Scotland, it was left to England to play an exciting brand of kamikaze rugby, but the high-octane pace was sufficient enough to allow France over the try-line, with Stuart Lancaster's team running out 55-35 winners.
The total was just six points short for the English, who rallied until the final whistle, just inches away from grabbing the final try to win the competition.
Here are the results from the final round of this year's Six Nations, including the final table:
| Saturday, Mar. 21 | 12.30 p.m. | Italy v Wales | 20-61 |
| 2.30 p.m. | Scotland v Ireland | 10-40 | |
| 5 p.m. | England v France | 55-35 |
| 1 | Ireland | 5 | 4 | 1 | 119 | 56 | +63 | 8 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 4 | 1 | 157 | 100 | +57 | 8 |
| 3 | Wales | 5 | 4 | 1 | 146 | 93 | +53 | 8 |
| 4 | France | 5 | 2 | 3 | 103 | 99 | +4 | 4 |
| 5 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 4 | 62 | 182 | -120 | 2 |
| 6 | Scotland | 5 | 0 | 5 | 73 | 127 | -54 | 0 |
English Heartbreak As Ireland Delivers Final Blow
No one in their right mind would have thought 90 points would have been scored at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. But as the English supporters sung "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" with the utmost gusto and passion, their team almost reached the promised land.
England nearly completed one of the great rugby comebacks in living memory, beating the French 55-35 and falling short by just six points in their quest to win the Six Nations.
Driven by the awesome talent of Ben Youngs, who ran over two of England's seven tries, Stuart Lancaster's team played breathtaking passing rugby as his side went hunting for the 26 point win-margin they needed.
However, France played some of their best rugby of the season, as they rolled back the years and counter-attacked their hosts with pace and aggression.
Indeed, had the French been more accurate with their kicking, the score would have been much closer to parity.
But as England failed by the slimmest of margins, Ireland celebrated in Scotland as the final whistle went at Twickenham, with Paul O'Connell receiving the trophy for his nation.
The Irish captain paid tribute to the English in their pursuit of the title, and proclaimed this year's crown somewhat supersedes last season's effort, per Mike Henson and Ben Dirs of BBC Sport: "I never would have predicted such a game at Twickenham. Fair play to England and fair play to France. I've never received a trophy in such a bizarre situation. It's strange. In some ways it's better than last year.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt spoke to BBC One about his delight and pride in his team's victory, per Henson and Dirs, professing his condolences to England and their valiant effort:
"It was tumultuous. Exhausting. I'm delighted on behalf of the team. I spare a thought for England, they were superb today and probably deserved a share of the spoils. I'm looking forward to being quite relaxed now. Hopefully we can keep going forward.
Days like today build coronaries for coaches. But it also builds character. We're delighted and relieved.
"
The Irish win, north of the border, was not necessarily a surprise, but the margin of victory was a shock considering how well Scotland have played, despite losing all five of their rounds.
The Scots ended the competition with a points difference of just minus-54, so when you consider 30 points of that total were conceded on Saturday, English fans may well feel slightly disappointed.
Scotland did not have a good match against a busy Irish team and the motivation to perform simply was not present for the hosts.
Despite his obvious emotions, Lancaster paid tribute to his young team, who nearly completed one of rugby union's great moments of theatre, per Henson and Dirs:
"I'm gutted really. It was one of the most courageous performances I've seen from a team. It was an unbelievable game of rugby.
The first two France tries hurt us. But to come back like we did—it will go down as one of the great games of rugby. Credit to Ireland, they beat us away from home, so congratulations to Joe Schmidt and his team.
"
And former England coach Sir Clive Woodward also lead the accolades, praising the effort and application of Lancaster's team, per Henson and Dirs: "England should feel disappointed for 24 hours—then I'd sit them down and say 'wow, that was amazing.' I didn't think I could see this England team play like this, they were fantastic."
Despite losing the title at the final hurdle, the England team has travelled a worthy journey through 2015 and place themselves as a viable contender for the upcoming World Cup.
However, Paul Hayward of The Telegraph highlighted some of the team's shortcomings, but also praised the side's threat:
England lack Ireland's big-game experience, and in the end, that was enough to see the Six Nations slip through their fingers.
The match against France will live in rugby enthusiasts' minds for decades to come, but Lancaster's team will have learned so much about themselves on Saturday afternoon.
England can go on and win the World Cup and quickly put to bed the disappointment of losing out to Ireland once again.
The Irish are worthy champions after losing the mercurial Brian O'Driscoll at the end of last year, and the strength of their unit is greater than the sum of their parts.
However, it will not be long before England mature and become the most dangerous team in the northern hemisphere once again.
The pressure will be on them during a home nation World Cup, but it feels that knockout rugby will be a format that suits the bravery of the young English lions.
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