Three down, two to go. All roads don't lead to Cardiff just yet and France, on the evidence of their rejuvenated performance in defeat to Wales on Saturday will represent quite a hurdle next Saturday week at Lansdowne Road.
But a first championship in two decades and with it a first Grand Slam in 57 years remains within the grasp of Eddie O'Sullivan's team after yesterday's 19-13 victory over England.
The victory may have come at a cost, as Ireland's midfield injury jinx appeared to have struck again. Shane Horgan, an immense performer in Ireland's six-match winning run this season, had his right thumb heavily bandaged amid fears he suffered ligament damage, although the extent of the injury will only be revealed after an X-ray today. Brian O'Driscoll's 'dead leg' is not considered problematic.
That apart, the sense of satisfaction arising from a second consecutive win over the world champions will possibly be even greater than last season's celebrated victory at Twickenham. That's because England played a good deal better yesterday than they did then or in their previous championship outings this season. The tackle count of 106 by Ireland, with eight missed, to England's 45, with just three missed, tells us much about the day that was in it, and Ireland's brilliant defensive effort.
And as the sages say, attacks may win matches, but defences win championships.
'We wuz robbed!' was the tone of England's post-match mood. Coach Andy Robinson lamented the couple of key decisions which denied his side tries in either half, when first Jonathan Kaplan decreed that Mark Cueto was in front of Charlie Hodgson before touching down in the corner off the latter's crosskick in the 38th minute, and that Josh Lewsey hadn't grounded the ball off a 75th minute lineout drive without recourse to the video official.
Regarding the first incident, Robinson said: "I'm still trying to work out why that wasn't given because it looked like a perfectly good try from the two television angles I've just seen."
He also said it was "a classic example" of extending the use of video replays, a theme he reiterated with regard to claims for a try by Lewsey. "We've got the technology there and I felt he should have used it." Or at the very least give the ensuing scrum to England rather than Ireland.
Ireland undoubtedly got the rub of the green overall, and most of the marginal decisions went their way as well as a penalty count of 10-4 in their favour. But as O'Sullivan pointed out, Ronan O'Gara was clearly taken out by Danny Grewcock off the ball in creating a clear route for Martin Corry to score England's seventh-minute try.
"I was happy to get the win, obviously," said O'Sullivan. "We expected England to play really well today and if they'd played as well in their first two games they'd have won them. Refereeing decisions are part and parcel of the game, you can console yourself with them or beat yourself. I thought it was a great game of rugby. They played well and we beat them, which makes it a good victory."
O'Sullivan also drew parallels with Ireland's win in Twickenham last year, pointing out that Ireland had started well, coughed up a softish try, scored the decisive try midway through the second half and then had to defend for their lives. In what must have seemed like Groundhog Day for England anyway, it went uncannily further than that, to the point that Ireland also led 12-10 at half-time, only used 16 players and won by the same score.
For all Robinson's complaints, he also had room for some generosity in defeat. "I think they're a good side. I went into their dressing-room after the campaign and complimented them on the way they played the game. I thought they defended magnificently and when you defend as magnificently as they did today and you've someone like Ronan O'Gara in your side to kick your drop goals and penalties, you've got every chance of winning the Six Nations."
O'Gara, striking the ball beautifully and varying his game cleverly, was once again a key figure, landing two drop goals, two penalties and a conversion of Brian O'Driscoll's crucial 59th minute try to earn man of the match.
O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell, any of the Irish backrow trio, Martin Corry and others would all have been in the running in what the watching Clive Woodward would have called a massively full-on Test match. And on the occasion of his 50th Test, with one of his sporting heroes Roy Keane also in attendance, few could have begrudged O'Gara another bottle of champagne.
Ireland's victory completed a Celtic treble on the pivotal weekend of the RBS Six Nations following Wales' stunning 24-18 win in Paris and Scotland's soporific victory over Italy .
