Ireland 27-22 England
Simon Easterby's Ireland got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start on Saturday evening, with a bonus point win over England setting them on course to charge for an unprecedented third consecutive title.
Last year saw England come out on top in dramatic fashion at Twickenham, and Ireland were out for revenge on Saturday night. However, the visitors got off to a dream start, with debutant Cadan Murley crossing the whitewash after just nine minutes.
A magic try from Jamison Gibson-Park drew Ireland within two points, before a Marcus Smith penalty extended England's advantage just before the break.
In truth, Ireland were off colour for the first half, with their attacking play stunted and England rarely threatened. England's line speed and physicality also posed big problems for Ireland in the first half.
The opening stages of the second half saw a change from the hosts, as they tightened up their handling and found themselves camped in England's 22. Eventually, they got their rewards through a superb try from Bundee Aki, who battled his way to the line down the left.
It was a mixed bag off the tee for Sam Prendergast, who missed both conversion attempts. However, the 21-year-old came in clutch with a massive penalty after 55 minutes to put Ireland in front for the first time.
Ireland were comfortable from there, pushing on in impressive fashion to take a decisive lead. A line break from James Lowe set Tadhg Beirne up for a try with just over 15 minutes remaining. The conversion from Jack Crowley put Ireland 10 points in the clear.
The highlight of the night was Dan Sheehan's try off the bench. After a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Sheehan made his return to the test circle on Saturday and finished off a brilliant break from Ireland with a ruthless finish eight minutes from time.
Though Ireland were comfortably in the ascendancy, a frustrating end to the game saw England run in two tries to claim a losing bonus point and put a bit more respectability on the scoreboard.
It could hardly have been a better start to Simon Easterby's temporary reign in charge. With Andy Farrell on Lions duties this summer, he has taken a step back from the Ireland camp, with Easterby taking charge for the duration of the Six Nations.
Farrell was, however, in attendance for Saturday's blockbuster clash. Speaking on ITV post-match, Brian O'Driscoll made a brilliant quip about the power dynamics in the Ireland setup.
READ HERE: Ronan O'Gara Issues Scathing Assessment Of "Yo-Yo" Jack Crowley Form
READ HERE: 'Nobody Really Says This': Shane Horgan Has Serious Concern About South African Clubs In Europe
Brian O'Driscoll had cheeky assessment of Andy Farrell's involvement in Irish setup
Pre-match, O'Driscoll had been asked whether he thought Andy Farrell would be maintaining contact with the Irish coaches from afar as he prepares for the summer's Lions tour.
BOD was in no doubt that Farrell would still be involved, saying that Lions coaches of the past had likely done similar.
There's no way he hasn't some involvement! Be it conversations in the lead-up to it, they were away in Portugal last week.
Listen, Andy is the Lions coach but what's he doing at the moment other than looking at players? He's going to inherit this team again in six months' time.
He definitely has some form of involvement. That's okay - I'm sure Warren Gatland did it, other coaches in the past will have done it. It's completely natural. They're just never going to admit to it!
Farrell will have been pleased with what he saw from Ireland, with Simon Easterby guiding his charges to a bonus point victory to open the Six Nations.
O'Driscoll doubled down on his take at full-time. When asked if Andy Farrell would already have been in contact with Easterby to congratulate him on the result, O'Driscoll delivered a brilliant tongue-in-cheek response.
"'My team I selected certainly worked well for you!'" quipped O'Driscoll.
The ITV panel of Eddie Jones, Jonny Wilkinson and Rory Best were cracked up by O'Driscoll's one-liner. However, the Ireland legend went on to praise his ex-Ireland teammate Easterby for how he had taken on the challenge - even accounting for some pre-match nerves.
I thought he looked a bit nervous, understandably, in the interview before the game. Of course he is, this is a big stepping stone for him, I'm sure he has aspirations to be a head coach himself in the years to come.
The tests don't come much bigger than England at home. Whatever words he said at half-time worked a treat because they came out second half and really put to bed the Autumn Nations Series.
The uncertainty we've all been feeling is gone for now.
Whether Andy Farrell had a say or not, the Ireland we saw on Saturday was certainly a return to something approaching their best form.
Simon Easterby will be thrilled to have gotten a win under his belt but his attention will quickly turn to Murrayfield next Sunday.
