By all accounts, it was the same across the rugby clubs and bars all over the country, Irish supporters on their feet, cheering deliriously for Scotland as developments in Murrayfield were unfolding immediately following Ireland’s tight win over Wales.

A Saturday to savour in Dublin was made even sweeter by a cracking performance from Scotland in defeating back-to-back Six Nations champions England in Edinburgh, writes Donal Lenihan.

The tiny margins that will shape today’s Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium.

Far away from the madding crowds of the Six Nations last weekend, Tom Clifford Park, the famed home of Young Munster, hosted my own club Cork Constitution in the latest of a series of hotly contested Ulster Bank League Munster derbies.

Wales coach Warren Gatland brings great qualities to any management set-up and once again, in the face of adversity, he has engineered two really competitive Six Nations’ performances from a squad ravaged by injury, writes Donal Lenihan

The problem with playing against Italy, especially at home, is that everyone is expecting a cakewalk and even when you deliver a comprehensive win, as Ireland did Saturday, invariably it comes with caveats, writes Donal Lenihan.

Three challenges for Joe Schmidt facing Ireland against Italy today...

I predicted last week that the opening six hours of rugby action that would launch this season’s Six Nations championship would prove very revealing and that’s exactly what transpired, writes Donal Lenihan.

After a worrying Six Nations losing streak on the road, with only one championship success in the last five away fixtures — and that against Italy in Rome last season — Joe Schmidt cut a mightily relieved man to have got this opening win in Paris under his belt.

Ireland carry three key advantages into today’s opening round of the Six Nations at Stade de France, writes Donal Lenihan