It certainly hasn't been the Six Nations that Ireland and England would have hoped for prior to the tournament getting underway last month. Ireland had a dismal start to this year's edition of the rugby championship, as they lost to Wales and France, whilst it's been stop-start for England, who lost to Scotland and Wales in two of their first three games.
Victory last weekend for both sides has helped restore some pride before the tournament's conclusion this weekend. With Eddie Jones' and Andy Farrell's men both only boasting wins over whipping boys Italy before their games last weekend, it was crucial that both sides proved their mettle against France and Scotland respectively.
Neither of the victories were convincing and a bit of late drama was needed for both England and Ireland to secure their second triumphs of this year's Six Nations. A controversial Maro Itoje try with just five minutes to go at Twickenham confirmed a narrow 23-20 win over France for England, whilst a Jonathan Sexton penalty with just four minutes left was all that separated Ireland from Scotland at Murrayfield.
Convincing or not, both sides will be more than happy with their respective victories. Both games were frantic at times, and it has been in matches like that where England and Ireland have struggled this year. It's worth noting that Farrell's side were only beaten 15-13 by France and 21-16 by Wales. So, to come out on the right side of an extremely tight game for the first time in this year's Six Nations will be a massive boost heading into their final match against England.
For Jones' side, who lost 40-24 to Wales at the Principality Stadium at the end of February, it was the perfect response to come out and beat France on home soil. You could argue that Les Bleus were jaded after a coronavirus outbreak in their camp briefly halted their tournament, but England won't want to look at it from that perspective.
Of course, England have also handed Wales a major boost in their pursuit of a Grand Slam triumph. If Wayne Pivac's side can go to Paris this weekend and upset the odds once again, they will be crowned the Grand Slam victors.
Both England and Ireland will now turn their attentions to Saturday's fixture at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Those who analysed the Six Nations betting odds prior to the tournament arguably would have looked at this game as a potential tournament decider.
However, we have been left with quite the opposite. There won't be any manic celebrations for either side in the Irish capital come Saturday evening, and the only cup being paraded around the pitch will be the Millennium Trophy, which is awarded to winner of this fixture each year.
One thing's for sure. Both teams will want to end their tournaments on a high. It's not going to be a free-flowing, attacking game of rugby. It's going to be a gruelling, tough 80 minutes. Ireland's defence will need to be at the top of its game to deny England, whilst Jones' side will need to be more disciplined if they are to beat Ireland. It really could go either way!
