As the crowd drifted away from Lansdowne Road last Saturday after that exhilarating 44-22 win over Scotland, it was heart-warming to see the smiles on the faces of the crowd. Too often in recent times it has been frowns.

The first Championship win on home soil has been four years coming, but, to the great credit of the Ireland team, when it came, it was achieved with some real style.

One of the most satisfying elements of the win was the method of its execution. And while we all went in hope if not in expectation, that Ireland would win, the margin of victory and the five tries scored were beyond the dreams of even the most optimistic.

For Warren Gatland, the Irish coach, and for manager Donal Lenihan, it was an especially good afternoon as it was for assistant coach Eddie O'Sullivan. But O'Sullivan has just come onto the scene and totally avoided the flack that has been directed at the other two in recent times. Even after the 50 points debacle in Twickenham, it was Gatland under fire.

I have stated before that Gatland was too loyal to some players for too long. The team chosen for duty last Saturday took due account of the recurring failure of some players. The Ireland management made eight changes and included five new caps. That was a brave selection but it was also due recognition for players whose form had justified their selection.

If that team had failed be sure that Gatland would not alone have been the man to take the blame, but in all probability, would not now be Ireland coach. I therefore share the view wholeheartedly that he now deserves the credit.

The Irish management trio must be a collective unit, united with a common purpose. The team they selected, I sincerely hope and also believe, reflected that and the same applies to the changes made during the course of the game. I do no know what the future holds for Warren Gatland, but let right be done and if he takes the pain when we lose then so also he must be given the gain when we win. I fail to see the morality in blaming the coach when we lose and deflecting the credit from him when we win. It is as unfair as it is divisive.

THE decision to bring David Humphreys in for Ronan O'Gara when Ireland led by 10 points was assuredly a collective decision not a dictate from the assistant coach. It was a very shrewd substitution. Humphreys used his vast experience and played extremely well.

But let us not forget the contribution made by O'Gara. He was very nervous initially, but his 10 points were invaluable, including two superb conversions. I believe O'Gara has a very bright international future. Coming into a team with half an hour to go and with your side 10 points in front is a very nice introduction to proceedings. But full credit to all concerned.

Whatever lies on the road ahead for the Ireland management trio, and the players who shared in that win last Saturday, let us remember this, that this Ireland team wrote itself into the record books.

By scoring 44 points they beat by 14 the previous highest score recorded by Ireland in a Championship match, the 30 points scored against against Wales in 1996.

One has to go back to 1953 to find the last time Ireland scored five tries or more in a Championship match. Ireland scored six tries against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1953.

Seamus Byrne scored three, Maurice Mortell, Ronnie Kavanagh and Jim McCarthy scored one each.

Indeed there has been only two occasions in the last 100 years when Ireland scored six tries in the Championship and only three times previously had an Ireland team scored five tries in the Championship. We had that six in 1953 and also against France in Cork in 1913.

The first time Ireland scored five was in 1905 against France in Cork, the second was also in Cork again against France in 1911 in a 25-5 win, then came 1947 against England in a 22-0 victory. Barney Mullan and Bertie O'Hanlon scored two each and Bill McKay one.

Of course it would be total folly to fall into a sense of false security as a result of the win against a Scotland team that certainly did not play like the defending European champions.

But neither should the win be undervalued. Ireland went into the match not having beaten Scotland since 1988 and then went 10 points down. That added to the psychological burden. It was Ireland's best performance and win since the 13-12 victory over England at Twickenham in 1994.

Last weekend was an extremely good one for Irish rugby. Wins at senior, A and under-21 levels. Ireland scored over 100 points in securing that notable treble and scored 11 tries.

Altogether a very satisfactory situation, the A win over England means that Ireland will play Wales at that level with a Triple Crown at stake. There is the added incentive of a Grand Slam at A level.

There was a very interesting and I believe pertinent feature of the Ireland and Scotland teams last Saturday. Thirteen of the 15 Ireland players who started the match were home-based.

Two of the four players who came on as replacements for Ireland were also home-based. Contrast that with the Scots. Nine of the Scots' starting 15 are playing their rugby outside Scotland. Now equate that with the fact that neither of the Scotland teams in the European Cup qualified for the quarter-final stages. The Munster side, that included eight of Ireland's starting line up last Saturday, headed their group in the European Cup and are in the quarter-finals. Leinster who had five men in the Ireland team, lost a quarter-final place on a countback of group points. Somewhere along the way somebody is doing something right in Irish rugby.

European rugby and the Ireland under-21 system are crucial to the ongoing development of the Ireland players. Four of the five new caps played for Ireland at under-21 level and 11 of the Ireland team that started that match are former under-21 internationals as were three of the four who came on as replacements.