Ireland kept their hopes of winning the Six Nations alive and clinched the Triple Crown with a 43-21 victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland achieved their fourth treble in the past five years by defeating England, Wales and now Scotland.
Victory also means they will spend the night cheering on England in their final game against France.
Ireland secured a bonus point with their win in Dublin, and a win for England would be enough to clinch the championship.
If England and France draw, Les Bleus will also score at least four tries, which would be a bonus point, and France winning on goal difference would be enough to clinch the title.
Scotland’s Six Nations title run, meanwhile, lasted until 2027, with the last time they won it in the old format in 1999. They are currently on a 12-game losing streak, but are still waiting for a win in Dublin. They will finish this year’s Six Nations in third place regardless of the rest of the results.
After a slow opening 20 minutes, Ireland led 19-7 at half-time with converted tries from Jamie Osborne and Dan Sheehan and a diving strike from Robert Balkoon securing the points.
Scotland hit back with a try from Darcy Graham, which was converted by Finn Russell, but there was work to be done in the second half to keep their hopes of making history alive.
Robert Balkoon stretches out in the corner for a great finish.
The visiting team added tries with goals from Russell and Rory Darge, but Ireland equalized them and then went on to score a decisive victory.
After debutant Darragh Murray earned a bonus point for his side, Jack Crowley added a penalty and Tommy O’Brien scored twice, the second time with 20 seconds left to wreak havoc on the Aviva.
Ireland remains in contention for the championship with bonus points and “treble”
There was always a sense of urgency in this match to decide the Triple Crown, and that was evident with a relentless start to the game as both teams scored four tries in a ferocious 20 minutes, entertaining the crowd.
Ireland’s Dan Sheehan showed pure power barging over from the maul
Osborne grabbed Ireland’s fastest try of the 2026 season with an ingenious lineout call in the opening three minutes, with the full-back running a great line to get it under the sticks. Crowley scored for a 7-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for Scotland to hit back and after 19 phases the visitors finally played a looping pass wide to Graham, which Russell converted to level the score at 7-7.
Darcy Graham went over the corner at his own pace in the first half.
It was clear that both teams were going for the four-try bonus point and the scoring continued, with Sheehan next going over the back of a traditional Irish maul from the lineout. Crowley added another point, increasing the lead to 14-7 within 10 minutes.
Ireland extended their lead in the 20th minute with Balkoon’s bold finish. Some quick thinking and some nice hands from behind the scrum helped the home side play wide, with the winger regaining pace and diving into the corner. This time Crowley was unable to add a conversion.
After the first 20 minutes where everything was focused on scoring, the second 20 minutes were a battle of attrition. Ireland clearly had the upper hand, especially at the breakdown, but Scotland’s defense was solid enough to keep them at bay.
Balkoon used all his skills to evade the defender and steal the ball
Ireland have never lost in the last 30 times they have led at home at half-time in the Six Nations, with 31 of those times thanks to great attack and excellent defence.
The key for Scotland in the second half was to make no mistakes and break through Ireland’s determined defense – and they managed to pull off the second of those.
After 10 minutes of pressure, Ben White’s wonder pass rewarded Russell, who mustered his strength to get over and convert his own shot to make the score 19-14, helping him break the 500-point mark in international competition.
Finn Russell crossed for Scotland in the second half and then converted his own shot.
But four minutes later, debutant Murray raced through a series of phases to earn Ireland a bonus point. Crowley converted again, giving his team a 26-14 lead.
Still, the struggling Scotland continued their momentum, with Kyle Steyn darting forward and a series of short passes to Durge, who once again broke through the Irish defence. Russell converted to make the score 26-21, setting up a fascinating final 20 minutes.
Rory Durge was substituted in the 60th minute as Scotland continued to attack.
After both teams explored opportunities for nine minutes, Bundy Aki made a big run, providing the basis for Ireland to construct an intricate pass, and O’Brien scored a touchdown with his fifth try in the 69th minute. Crowley made another accurate spike to restore his team’s 12-point advantage and put his team up 33-21 with 10 minutes remaining.
Ireland elected to take a penalty kick in the 73rd minute to end the match, and Crowley was once again obliged to extend the advantage to 15 points.
Tommy O’Brien scored twice to cap Ireland’s brilliant victory.
Then, in the closing stages of the match, O’Brien found space wide and used his speed to seal Cherry a big win with his second run. In the final play of Ireland’s Six Nations 2026, Crawley converted five of six to seal a 43-21 victory.
Ireland now have to wait and see as England achieve a monumental victory over France and experience Six Nations glory for the first time since 2024.
Doris: Today is a rare day to cheer for England.
Ireland captain Caelan Doris told ITV Sport:
“We asked great performances from our senior players and big match players and they rose to the occasion. Tadhg Beirne was unbelievable.
“We saw how powerful the Scottish attack was last week (against France) and we knew it would happen again.
“There were waves, but there were big moments that kept them at bay.
“It’s a rare day to be able to support England. We feel we’ve done what we can control.”
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu told ITV Sport:
“We played really hard in the second half, but we made mistakes on kickoffs and other things that forced us back into the game.
“They were deserving winners.
“We wanted to lift the Triple Crown. We have to take another step forward. I’m very proud of the players.”
