We were convinced that all those heroic tears were because he saw his barber after the game but it seems not. Instead it was the sight of his parents in the crowd that tipped Ian 'Gazza' Madigan over the edge.
Madigan, who's been given a new nickname by his Ireland teammates after his tears of joy, took to Instagram to let us all know the moment that it just got a bit too much for him.
Incredible support from home and in the Millennium yesterday. Seeing mum and dad got the better of me at the end ??
Away from the jokes, those tears really did show just how much pressure was on Johnny Sexton's understudy. As much as player's may try and let on that they don't let criticism get to them, Madigan would be well aware of what has been said about his game management.
His performance, even if there's still room for improvement, in the fact of that criticism just makes it even more impressive.