After their grand slam Farrell's side can dream of northern hemisphere triumph in France

With the World Cup only six months down the line Ireland and France are in great shape but England have work to do

- Robert Kitson

The list of teams who have won a Six Nations grand slam and followed it up by hoisting the World Cup in the same calendar T year can be counted, for now, on a solitary English finger. Even as Ireland's players, coaches and supporters celebrated a famous achievement on Saturday night, though, they were already raising their eyes to the horizon and asking if something brighter might yet materialise.

Only Clive Woodward's England have previously stood where Ireland do now: the official grandmasters of Europe and the planet's No 1 team six months out from a World Cup. Woodward's squad just about kept going long enough to hit double top in 2003 and the obvious next challenge for Andy Farrell's Ireland is to do likewise.

There is no reason, in theory, why his squad cannot maintain their current momentum. Their age profile is good, with many of the players likely to be still around in 2027, never mind in France this autumn. As the past few weeks have revealed, there is also increasing depth in the event of injuries. Over 30 different Irish players took to the field at some stage in the Six Nations and, more often than not, their grand slam beers were earned the hard way.

Most striking of all, perhaps, was their defensive solidity. Ireland conceded just six tries in their five games, taking to a miserly 10 their combined tally in the last two Six Nations campaigns. Compare and contrast with England who conceded an unprecedented 18 tries this year alone. As England continue to lament Freddie Steward's red card in Dublin, it is also worth mentioning that no Irish player received a card of any sort in the entire tournament.