Front-foot Ireland rediscover missing groove

Standing pitchside as the players warmed up for yesterday’s Aviva Stadium clash, you could sense the tension. Focused minds, stern faces, sharp execution in every drill. Overseeing everything, the track-suited Joe Schmidt bounced around with nervous energy.

His final Six Nations encounter as Ireland head coach had crept up almost unnoticed. Beside him barking out the instructions to Rory Best, his on-field leader since Paul O’Connell departed the scene in 2015 — he too preparing for his Six Nations farewell to Lansdowne Road.