Andy Farrell couldn’t hide how proud he was after Ireland’s 43-21 win over Scotland sealed another Triple Crown, their fourth in five years. With the bonus-point victory, Ireland jumped ahead in the Six Nations standings, topping the table at 19 points and putting pressure on France. Now, it’s all down to the game in Paris, where they need England to keep France to two points or less to snag the championship.

But, to be honest, that scoreboard math didn’t kill the mood at Aviva Stadium. Beating Scotland in a blazing Triple Crown decider and lifting the trophy in front of a packed, roaring home crowd – that’s what everyone felt.

Think about how far they came. After that rough opening loss to France, not many saw this coming: four wins on the spin and another finish in the top two. That consistency isn’t easy.

Farrell summed up the group’s journey, too: “It’s been a wild eight weeks. Winning is great, but looking at what we’ve been through – a bunch of new faces, a handful of first Six Nations campaigns, and pushing things right down to the wire for some guys – it means even more. They’ve stuck together and learned a lot. That’s what’ll make us stronger.”

Ireland has now beaten Scotland twelve times in a row, and it’s hard to remember the last time the Scots came to Dublin with genuine optimism; they’ve barely won here since 1998. They gave it a real go, though. Scotland scored three tries and had more of the ball over 23 minutes of possession, but Ireland’s defence was relentless. They made 232 tackles.

“That’s why it feels so good,” Farrell said. “Scotland played really well. They kept coming at us, non-stop, but we were ruthless when it mattered and finished our chances.”

With the scoreline stuck at 26-21 in the 65th minute, Farrell rolled the dice and sent on six players at once: Milne, Kelleher, Bealham, Timoney, Frawley, and Aki. He joked that the only plan was making sure Bundee Aki didn’t get all the cheers to himself.

Bringing on Aki and handing a debut to 24-year-old Darragh Murray meant Farrell used 35 players in this Six Nations campaign more than ever before. Between that and the run of injuries, he got a good look at Ireland’s depth.

He was quick to praise Murray, especially the young lock’s try, charge down, and lineout work. Milne and Tom O’Toole got credit too, with O’Toole putting in 21 tackles in just his second Irish start.

“It’s amazing what he’s done,” Farrell said about O’Toole. “He should be seriously proud. That’s not an easy position to step into, and to handle the scrum the way he did, you could see how much it meant.”

And then there’s Stu McCloskey, who Farrell said should absolutely be in player-of-the-tournament conversations. “Five straight games at that level – that’s big. He’s doing it because the squad is so tight, so connected.”

Farrell also pointed out how well Caelan Doris played, calling it possibly the best of his career, even if Doris interrupted to remind everyone about two penalties, not just one.

Honestly, this whole eight-week stretch meant a lot to the group. Farrell said it best: all he feels is pride.

The noise at Aviva told its own story. After the win at Twickenham earlier in the tournament, the Irish supporters belted out “The Fields of Athenry” late in the game, and fans did it again here when Timoney and Beirne grabbed a turnover near the end. Farrell credited Doris and the team for getting the crowd fired up: "It’s our job to make that happen, and the noise tonight was something else. That’s what we want: everyone in it together."

The team headed upstairs to celebrate. And for once, they found themselves hoping for an England win – strange for an Irish side, but that’s what was on the menu. Doris put it simply: “We are tonight." It’s pretty unusual to cheer for England as an Irishman, but we’ll do it. Have a few beers, enjoy the Triple Crown, and then tune into Paris.”

Ireland has only won 15 Triple Crowns in 143 years, but nine since 2004. The players know how special that is. For the moment, they’re just soaking it in, watching, hoping, and enjoying what they’ve earned.