It's fair to say that not many onlookers saw England's victory over Ireland in the Six Nations last weekend coming.
The two sides entered the game in contrasting form, with Andy Farrell's men looking on course to claim a second successive Grand Slam. As for Steve Borthwick's side, they had not impressed many with their performances during the first three rounds of the championship.
That all counted for little on the day, with England emerging as thoroughly deserved winners after a pulsating contest.
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Six Nations: Ex-England star defends Irish legends over predictions
Of course, quite a few Irish commentators emerged with egg on their face due to that result.
Jamie Heaslip said that England would need Ireland to be reduced to 13 or 14 men to have any chance in the buildup to the fixture, with Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara also among those to give the home side very little chance of getting a positive result.
They have been widely mocked in English rugby circles in the aftermath of the Six Nations game, although some feel that is unfair.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast, former England star James Haskell defended that group of ex-Ireland internationals after the ridicule they have received in recent days.
We encourage sports people, and especially rugby players, to have personalities. I’ve got no problem with Ronan O’Gara, Jamie Heaslip or Peter Stringer saying any of that, it’s so good for the game.
The problem is, when people say things like that and put their head above the parapet, we’re now chastising them.
I would say, ‘lads, who gives a s***.’ You put yourself out there, you had an opinion. It didn’t pay off on this particular occasion, but keep doing more of it.
Every time there’s a fight in MMA or boxing, they trash talk. If they get filled in they go, ‘I’m sorry, I got filled in!’ That’s it.
Everyone was so adamant of going, ‘what are you thinking now Jamie Heaslip? What are you thinking now Peter Stringer?’ You’ve got to take it both ways. Put something out there, say it. I think we need more of that.
Quite a few former Ireland stars certainly got their predictions wrong on the game, although they were far from the only ones. Rugby pundits all over the globe, including the vast majority in England itself, saw very little prospect of Steve Borthwick's side securing a result on the day.
The fact that they managed to do so was a timely reminder as to what makes the Six Nations such an entertaining competition.
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