It was probably a bit nervier than many people would have expected, but it was incredibly satisfying to see Ireland get over the line in their game against England yesterday and claim a Grand Slam in the process.
This team has made remarkable strides over the last couple of years, so much so that their dominant Six Nations championship victory seems somewhat par for the course. That is a huge compliment, especially when you consider that this is only Ireland's fourth ever Grand Slam.
While quite a few players remain in the squad from the last side to achieve that feat back in 2018, there has also been quite a bit of evolution in the side. That has come both in terms of tactics and playing personnel, with Mack Hansen one of the more recent additions to the side.
The Aussie-born winger was brilliant once again yesterday and looks like a shoe-in for team of the tournament honours.
Mack Hansen gives honest interview after Grand Slam win
Mack Hansen is a relative rarity in modern rugby in that he does not have the polished presence in the media that you often see from many of his peers. He very much speaks from the heart, as was the case yesterday.
Speaking to RTÉ after the game, he summed up the scale of the teams and achievement, with his only regret being that more of his family was not on hand to witness it.
We've put ourselves in these spots before and we've come out on top.
It's something we're good at. Hopefully one week we can just absolutely run away with it, that would be perfect but I think we've come a long way from where we started a couple of years ago until now.
I think we will keep on doing that and the next step is putting our foot on a game and leading from start to finish instead of keeping it close like that...
I've got my Mum's brother, and my auntie and uncle Gabe and Lorraine are over, and some aunties and uncles up from Cork.
One of my mates from Australia is over. I got enough family to enjoy, I wish my Mum, Dad and brother were here.
Hansen joined Connacht in 2021, and having qualified to play for the country via his mother, he was quickly integrated into the Ireland setup. At 24-years old, he very much has his best years ahead of him.
He has already scored six tries at Test level, a number that is likely to grow quite a bit in the years ahead. The Canberra native will certainly be hoping to add to that tally at the World Cup later this year, a competition where Ireland will be considered one of the favourites.
For now, they will be enjoying the celebrations on the back of yesterday's achievement. When asked about how he planned to mark the occasion, Hansen gave a straightforward answer. He was also honest about he was feeling in the buildup to the England game.
Drink, drink, drink, drink.... No, we'll enjoy it, run into some fans and get to share the experience with them.
[It's] absolutely amazing, it's hard to put into words at the moment. It's a crazy feeling. It's just been such an atmosphere, it's crazy.
It's different gravy, isn't it. It's like something I've never seen before, it's incredible. It just shows how much Ireland is behind us, and we love it...
Very, very, very nervous (before the game).
I was taking some tablets before the game so I didn't s**t myself, I was very nervous.
I think everyone was, and I think you could kind of see then in the way we were playing. That's something for us to improve on, so for now we're going to enjoy this.
We're sure the celebrations went long into the night.
They were certainly well deserved.
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