Ireland clinch Six Nations Grand Slam with victory over England | world news

Ireland won their fourth Six Nations Grand Slam with a 29-16 win over England in Dublin.

The victory gives the team a big boost, underlining their status as the highest-ranked team in the world ahead of September’s World Cup in France.

England came within a point of an upset with just 20 minutes to go, despite playing with just 14 men for the entire second half.

But late tries from Robbie Henshaw, Rob Herring and a second for man of the match Dan Sheehan secured the 15th Irish Championship and fifth since 2009.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton said afterwards: “You couldn’t make it up – it’s like living in a dream.

“We didn’t play our best, but damn – what a team.

“What a group of coaches.

“Coming here and getting a win on St Patrick’s Day weekend is amazing – what a day.”

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England were hoping to regain some pride after a record 53-10 loss to France.

Captain Owen Farrell said on Saturday night: “I think we showed a tremendous amount of combat.

“Obviously the game changed with the card (Freddie Steward was sent off at halftime following an arm to the head by Hugo Keenan), but we still showed a huge amount of fight and stuck inside.

“We have built foundations during the Six Nations, but we clearly want to be a better team.”

England finished the competition in fourth place, behind France in second and Scotland in third. Wales finished fifth and it was another wooden spoon for Italy.