THE ODDS were always stacked against it but ultimately there was to be no fairy tale ending for Ireland’s departing centurions as Simon Easterby’s side missed out on the Six Nations title.
A campaign that began with much promise following a 27-22 win over England six weeks ago saw Ireland land the Triple Crown but realistically, their championship hopes came to an end with defeat to France last weekend.
Going into that penultimate game at the Aviva, Ireland were the only team capable of completing the Grand Slam as they looked to make history by being the first side to win three Championships in a row.
By the end of Super Saturday, they had finished third in the table, despite earning a 22-17 bonus-point win in Rome.
France’s 35-16 victory over a determined Scotland saw them top the table, while England finished second following a 10-try demolition of Wales, 68-14.
Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray said their goodbyes in Dublin after that French game but the Munster duo were each given one last runout as replacements in Rome.
Their second-half entrances were met with rapturous applause from the Irish fans in the Stadio Olimpico, while Healy joined them on the pitch after the game.
Dan Sheehan scored three tries against Italy to make it five for the tournament (Image: Seb Daly / Sportsfile via Getty Images)Dan Sheehan, who scored three tries against the Italians to finish with five for the tournament, said it was an honour to have played with the trio, who have each won five Six Nations and two Grand Slams.
"It's great to be sharing the pitch with three legends of Irish rugby and Irish sport in Pete [O'Mahony], Church [Cian Healy] and Mur [Conor Murray]," he said.
He added: "It was a bit of a mixed Championship for me personally and the team.
"I think we've had some really good highs as a group, winning the Triple Crown, but also some lows last week and we maybe didn't play our best game today either.
"So I think for me personally and the team, a lot of learnings but a lot of great memories along the way."
Meanwhile, interim coach Easterby looked to the future, feeling Ireland have more give.
"It's disappointing that we didn't play at our best. A little bit of frustration," he said after the game.
"The five points was the priority, but we left a few scores out there as well.
"I feel we've moved forward in some areas, in other areas we haven't.
"But I think that's probably the mark of the team — we've won four out of five and we'll still feel like we can get better in lots of areas."
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