When Ireland emerged from a chaotic, injury-filled game at Murrayfield with a win two years ago, it put them on the verge of the Grand Slam.
There may be three rounds of fixtures left this year, but Sunday’s 32-18 success in Edinburgh coupled with France’s defeat by England on Saturday means they are the only team still capable of securing the clean sweep.
And given the manner in which they battered Scotland, having put England to the sword in the second half last week, the evidence suggests it will take an almighty effort from Wales, France or Italy to derail Ireland’s hopes of a third successive Six Nations title.
All that is to come. For Ireland and interim boss Simon Easterby, though, Murrayfield was about laying down a marker. They achieved that emphatically to ensure a maximum return of 10 points from the first two weekends.
Ireland were clearly irked by how they bookended last week’s win over England. They were slow out of the blocks, trailed at half-time and switched off in the closing stages after storming into a big lead in the second half, handing England two late tries and a losing bonus point.
As a result, the motivation from the Irish coaches and players in the build-up to Sunday’s game was clear: silence Murrayfield quickly and shatter their hosts’ dreams of a first green scalp since 2017.
That part of the gameplan was nailed, and it laid the groundwork for one of the most convincing triumphs of their 11-game winning streak against Scotland.
