The Grand Slam class of 2018 stands alone

I would wager right now that it will be a long time before a team wins this tournament again by such a wide margin, says Donal Lenihan.

To win a Six Nations championship by eight points — 11 when you tag on the additional three bonus points that come with winning a Grand Slam — says everything you need to know about just how comprehensive this campaign has been from an Irish perspective.

Those additional bonus points were included when the new system was introduced in 2017 to avoid the scenario where a team that won all five games without a four-try bonus point could be overtaken by a side that lost one game but collected additional bonus points on the way.