On The Ball: Spoiler alert, Ireland win the Six Nations - Jerome O'Connell

CONGRATS to the Irish rugby team on winning the Six Nations title with a game to spare.

So, no winner-takes-all final round clash with England in Twickenham.

Or so I thought…….

I must be wrong!

Surely the target was to win the championship so it should be celebration time for a job well done.

Seemingly not….

I heard a radio presenter questioning on Sunday if St Patricks Day parades could alter their start time to allow people watch Ireland v England. I love my sport and could certainly understand much a sentiment if Saturday were a winner-takes-all but it’s now merely a dead rubber.

Don’t be fooled by the desire of sponsors and media partners to try and build the game into something is ain’t.

The championship is already won. Saturday is about getting a win against the ‘old enemy’. The ‘Triple Crown’ is a historical title and the ‘Grand Slam’ basically means winning the championship unbeaten, which to be fair would be great.

Nonetheless the biggest achievement is already in the bag – the Six Nations title. Ireland can lose in London and will still be champions, albeit world rankings and pride would be dented.

So save me from the Ireland v England biggest game ever stuff.

Ireland are champions...