Just how good was Ireland's victory over England? Here are 7 stats that illustrate how good they were on Sunday, and how they have been doing in the Six Nations championship so far.
1. Turnovers
If you can keep the ball when you have it, and earn turnovers when you don't, you are likely to win the game of rugby. It's that simple. Ireland only conceded 10 turnovers against England, while they forced a huge 22. This stat from Accenture Rugby illustrates how rare that is.
Ireland and Wales have conceded the least amount of turnovers in the tournament (27) which is considerably less than the other four nations. France have conceded the most (48), with Scotland, Italy and England all having conceded more than 42. By comparison, teams playing Ireland have conceded 58 turnovers.
2. Contestable Kicking
Much has been made of Ireland's kicking ability even before the victory over England. But how good is it really?
To put that into context, Conor Murray had 17 kicks, five of which were gathered by Irish hands. Not all of those 17 kicks would have been intended as contestable however showing how good they were. It even lead to the only try of the game.
3. Championship Minutes
It's often said that the minutes after half time are called "championship minutes" where good teams take full advantage. Before today's game, Ireland and England lead the championship in effectiveness after half time.
In the 12 minutes after half time in the Ireland v England game, Ireland turned a 9-3 lead into a huge 19-3 again taking advantage of this crucial period.
The last time Ireland were this good in the period directly after half time? The 2009 Six Nations. And we all know what happened then.
4. Defenders Beaten
One of the reasons for Ireland's brilliant play has been the seamless transition from Brian O'Driscoll to Robbie Henshaw. Henshaw hasn't looked out of place on the international stage at all, and could in fact be described as Ireland's best player in the tournament.
Henshaw leads the Irish stats in the defenders beaten category with 11. That's three more than Kearney who is next best.
5. Tackles
As good as Henshaw has been in attack, it's his defense that has set him apart in this tournament. He has led or joint lead Ireland's tackle count in each game of the Six Nations so far, and is a mile clear in the overall tackle count. His tally of 44 over the first three games is massive, with Paul O'Connell next in the list with an impressive 29. Ten tackles in one game can go down as a good tally, so to be beating that average is great work.
6. Discipline
For the second consecutive year, Ireland's discipline has been fantastic. They have conceded less penalties than their opposition in every match, and have the lowest penalty concession rate in the entire tournament with 26. England were leading in this department before losing to Ireland and conceded 13 penalties to have a total of 29. Wales and Scotland have conceded the highest amount with 37 and 38 respectively.
7. Winning Streak
It's worth noting that Ireland's win over England equals Ireland's longest ever win streak. Ireland reached 10 wins in a row in March 2003 before England came to Lansdowne Road in that infamous clash. Now, Wales stand between Ireland and their best ever run. There's still a bit to go yet before any rugby records as both New Zealand and South Africa who reached 17 wins in a row.
Read more about winning streaks here
