PETER JACKSON on Monday: IRFU have €4m reasons to celebrate

The last time Ireland won back-to-back titles, they sailed home from Liverpool to Dun Laoghaire carrying nothing much more than the clothes they wore. And they travelled third class, with the selectors in first.

When Karl Mullen’s team disembarked that Monday morning 66 years ago after clinching a second successive Five Nations crown in Swansea, nobody batted an eyelid. Paul O’Connell and his conquering heroes flew home yesterday having earned substantially more than the nation’s acclamation.

The gleaming trophy reaffirming their official status as the third best team in the world carries a first prize for the IRFU of more than €4,000,000. The players’ bonus for retaining their status as champions of Europe is understood to be around €45,000-a-man.

England and Wales, whom they beat by a nose and a short-head respectively in the ultimate photo-finish, were left to count the cost of a leaked try here and a missed conversion there.

When Jonny Sexton belatedly found his bearings and put Ireland 23 points clear in Edinburgh, Wales kissed goodbye to a bonus of €50,000-a-man.

A couple of hours later, England had lost their nice little earner of €20,000-a-man but then their match fee of £15,500 (sterling) is almost three times more than their Welsh counterparts.

It’s enough to make the most famous survivor of Ireland’s last double champions, Jim McCarthy, now in his 90th year, splutter on his cornflakes. He did it just for the glory and he did it on a third-class travel ticket.

Spiritual guidance inspires Wales’ bid

When Wales set the tone for the most Super of Six Nations’ Saturdays in miraculous fashion with 47 points in 26 second half minutes, it was almost as if they were being guided by some kind of superior force.

And thereby hangs quite a tale.

It revolves around a Franciscan monk from Athlone, Father John O’Brien, and Shaun Edwards, the Wales defence coach, who arranged to meet his spiritual adviser in Rome last Thursday. The subject of a possible audience with the Pope cropped up when they spoke last week.

“I suggested the idea to Shaun and he was all in favour,’’ said Fr O’Brien. “I spoke to the Vatican and to the Papal Nuncio in London. It was very difficult at such short notice but something could have been organised which would have meant the team and management flying out on Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, it was impossible for them to change their plans.’’

The mind boggles at how many more tries Wales might have scored had they gone into action armed with a Papal blessing.

Students of Irish rugby history will appreciate that a direct input from the church can go a long way.

When they set off in defence of their title in 1949, Ireland had a Roman Catholic priest, the Right Reverend Monsignor Canon Tom Gavin, in the centre and, just to square things up with the north, a Presbyterian minister, the Reverend Ernie Streathdee, at scrum half — an early triumph for the ecumenical movement.

Ireland’s points margin puts them second

Winning the title on the road in the grand manner takes some doing. Ireland’s 30-point margin at Murrayfield puts them second on the all-time Six Nations list, behind England.

In pointing that out, history might just be offering a nudge-and-wink hint that it could be repeating itself at Twickenham in the autumn.

Months after overwhelming Eddie O’Sullivan’s Ireland by 36 points in a double Grand Slam decider at Lansdowne Road 12 years ago, the England team won the World Cup.

The last 10 examples of champions crowned away from home: 2015: Ireland 30 Scotland 10 at Murrayfield; 2014: Ireland 22 France 20 at Stade de France; 2009: Ireland 17 Wales 15 at Millennium Stadium; 2006: France 21 Wales 16 at Millennium Stadium; 2003: England 42 Ireland 6 at Lansdowne Road; 1999: Scotland 36 France 22 at Stade de France; 1998: France 51 Wales 0 at Wembley; 1987: France 19 Ireland 13 at Lansdowne Road; 1981: France 16 England 12, Twickenham; 1980: England 30 Scotland 18 at Murrayfield.

Owens lays down law to Brown

Welsh referee Nigel Owens provided a reassuringly classic example of how to fight fire on the hoof after England’s occasionally hot-headed full-back Mike Brown had been involved in an off-the-ball scuffle at Twickenham.

“I suggest you get back to your position, carry on with your own game and cut out the nonsense,’’ Owens told him. “If you don’t, you won’t be here to finish it.’’

Organisers should leave things exactly as they are

Those of us who applaud the Six Nations for resisting the perennial clamour for a change to the points system can bask this morning and argue that bonus points would not have made one jot of a difference.

Under the four-for-a-win, one for losing by seven or fewer and one for four of more tries, Ireland, England and Wales would all have finished in exactly the same order on 18 points.

France would still have been fourth with 11, Italy fifth with four and Scotland last despite three losing bonus points. The message is crystal clear — leave well alone.

Jones alone in predicting Irish cup success

Punditry seems to be the biggest growth industry in the game.

All those ex-players-cum-soothsayers presented en masse before the final round with their predictions would have been shown the door by Nostradamus — except for one.

The vast majority played safe and backed England, a few went for Wales, but from what I read, only one picked the winner — a Welshman. Take a bow, Ryan Jones.

“Wales will show their flair in Rome,” he said on Saturday morning. “But Ireland will win the title. I’ve backed them from the start and they will be smarting from last week [losing in Cardiff].”

Haskell actions betray words

“If you’re not first, you’re last,’’ James Haskell said before the championship denouncement against France. “It’s all about winning.’’

It’s also all about staying on the field.

On a night when England tripped over the final hurdle, their widely-travelled flanker had beaten them to it — tripping an opponent and spending 10 minutes in the bin for his sin.

The best

Man of the tournament: Paul O’Connell – what a way to go, his place in the Pantheon guaranteed. The Six Nations will have to manage without him from now on but Ireland’s colossus still has a bit of business to take care of – winning the World Cup.

Runners-up: Sam Warburton (inset below) — outstanding leadership, but then you’d expect nothing else from the Welsh Lion. Alun-Wyn Jones — pushed O’Connell every inch of the way and that takes an awful lot of doing. Jonathan Joseph — the best threequarter of the entire cast and a potential world- beater for England later in the year.

Best matches: Wales 23, Ireland 16. England 55, France 35.

Worst: Italy 0, France 29. Italy 3, Ireland 26.

Team of the tournament:

15. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)

14. George North (Wales)

13. Jonathan Joseph (England)

12. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)

11. Jack Nowell (England)

10. Jonny Sexton (Ireland)

9. Ben Youngs (England)

1. Vincent Debaty (France)

2. Guilhem Guirado (France)

3. Mike Ross (Ireland)

4. Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales)

5. Paul O’Connell (Ireland)

6. Peter O’Mahony (Ireland)

7. Sam Warburton (Wales)

8. Sergio Parisse (Italy).

Replacements: Tighthead: Dan Cole (England); Loosehead: Gethin Jenkins (Wales); Hooker: Leonardo Ghiraldini (Italy); Lock: Courtney Lawes (England); Back row: Sean O’Brien (Ireland); Scrum half: Conor Murray (Ireland); Fly half: Dan Biggar (Wales); Outside back: Stuart Hogg (Scotland).