England's front-row celebrate. (Getty Images)

By Dave Ord

There you have it, the Six Nations, the Grand Slam, the glory belong to England.

It was a ruthless performance from the side currently rated the best in the world at Lansdowne Road and for all their passion, commitment and talent, Ireland had no answers.

They were in the game until the hour mark but by the time Mike Tindall crashed over the writing was already on the wall.

Ireland could not cope with England in the forwards.

The opening try for Lawrence Dallaglio came as a direct result of the disruption of an Irish scrummage.

Richard Hill was argubly the player of the tournament, Martin Johnson a towering presence, Steve Thompson a driving force, stars abound throughout the England eight.

Behind that pack Jonny Wilkinson was magnificent at fly-half.

His kicking from hand was impeccable, including into a stiff first-half breeze, and he directed his troops around the field with precision.

His defence too set a magnificent lead for those around him and despite a shoulder injury hindering his second-half contribution, he was a worthy man-of-the-match.

Clive Woodward chose to savour the moment at the final whistle and had every right to do so. At last his side had cleared a final hurdle which had claimed them so often in the past. Gone is the chokers tag, vindication is theirs.

So all eyes are on the World Cup, England head there as number one in the rankings and the best in Europe. The southern hemisphere giants lie in wait, but the fear has gone. Woodward and co are genuine contenders.

Ireland may have been ground into submission in the second-half but they can hold their heads high after a wonderful campaign.

Geordan Murphy was outstanding at full-back with a series of thrilling breaks, and the whole three-quarter line looked full of inventiion and penetration.

But you cannot play without the ball. There is a new crop of Irish forwards coming through, Paul O'Connell being just one, and if they make the grade then we will have three genuine contenders for the 2004 Six Nations crown.

But in 2003 England were worthy - and brilliant winners.

Ireland deservedly finished second, France knew their fate after the opening round defeat at Twickenham and played like that subsequently.

Scotland at least ensured Ian McGeechan signed off from the competion with a win at the weekend but they are struggling to remain at the top fo the second tier of the competition.

Italy had a great time of it, beating Wales and almost stunning Murrayfield.

Crucially Ramiro Pez had a fantastic game on Saturday and looks ready to take over from Diego Dominguez as they continue to build under John Kirwan.

For Wales? Roll on 2004, at least it can't be worse than this was. At times they were overwhelmed, at times they lacked direction, even hope. The confusion in their domestic game can hardly help, but the road back to former glories looks steeper than ever before.

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