Well that was a depressing 24 hours for Irish rugby. Being beaten by Wales again and watching England blitz hapless Scotland provided a sobering reminder of Ireland's place in the world rugby pecking order.
England's visit to the Aviva on Saturday is a dead rubber now and thoughts initially turned to how Ireland can summon the spirit of 2011 to deny England a Grand Slam and Triple Crown.
But the task at hand is far more important than any Grand Slam and involves the entire Irish rugby family. Because England are on the verge of something historic.
The England's women's team, the standard bearers of European women's rugby, arrive in Dublin in majestic form and chasing their own grand slam. They've earned three winning bonus points from their four wins and have a points differential of +154.
The England's U-20s are also unbeaten, having won all of their games with winning bonus points. They've scored 26 tries in 4 games.
All three English rugby teams are in Dublin next week in search of perfection.
So while we'll hear a lot about England's pursuit of the Grand Slam and their vaunted winning streak in the next week, the stakes are actually much higher. England will be attempting to complete an unprecedented Triple Slam next weekend. If the thought of Dylan Hartley and co celebrating a Grand Slam in the centre of the Aviva on Paddy's Day weekend disturbs you, just imagine the haughtiness in the Shelbourne that evening when the RFU blazers toast their dominance over European rugby.
It will be the cruelest indignity England has inflicted on Ireland since the release of Ed Sheeran's 'Galway Girl'.
We have three chances to stop the Triple Slam. The U20s and the Irish women play Paddy's Day evening at Donnybrook. Ideally we will win all three games next weekend. But, in order to retain our national pride, Ireland must win at least one.
There is no reason to fear England. The Irish women's team are chasing their own Grand Slam after beating Wales yesterday in Cardiff Arms Park. The U20s have been very impressive in 2017.
Your support is required at this most important hour for Irish rugby. And just for the sake of it, here are some photos of England celebrating the 2003 Grand Slam in Dublin to make you sick.
