Quite the season, then. The Grand Slam, along with its attendant Triple Crown along after a clean sweep in November and now a series win in Australia for the first time since 1979. Bundle in Leinster's triumphs in the Pro14 and the Champions Cup and we have Ireland's greatest-ever season.
The series was eeked out this morning with an exhaustive 20-16 win in Sydney, and it was achieved in spite of a number of problems. Peter O'Mahony made way through injury, meaning he was absent for the final stages of the game in which a heavy-legged Ireland suffered at the end of a long season. Things started inauspiciously, too: the Irish team bus turned up 15 minutes late owing to the Sydney traffic.
Nonetheless, Ireland conquered all of these and more to end a famous season on a high.
Joe Schmidt paid tribute to his players' character after the game...although couldn't let the team bus issue slide.
