Stuart Broad edged closer to adding his name to the Lord’s honours board but all-rounder Curtis Campher held up England’s charge in the afternoon session to guide Ireland to 162 for seven at tea.

Broad ripped through the Ireland top order during the first hour of the one-off Test with three wickets to reduce the tourists to 64 for four despite Paul Stirling’s entertaining knock of 30

When opener James McCollum edged behind soon after lunch to depart for 36 to give Broad a fourth scalp, Ireland were wobbling on 98 for five but Campher held firm.

Jack Leach grabbed his second scalp and Matthew Potts claimed a first Test wicket since August, but Campher’s unbeaten 32 saw Ireland make it through a second session.

England’s journey to Lord’s from their Kensington hotel had been delayed by five minutes due to Just Stop Oil protesters and enhanced security measures were put in place by the MCC to thwart any potential disruptions during the four-day Test.

With overcast conditions and a green wicket at the Home of Cricket, it was no surprise when Ben Stokes put Ireland into bat after he won the toss and Broad quickly set about trying to get his name on the honours board again.

In the absence of rested duo James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, the Nottinghamshire seamer produced a fine opening spell of three for 14 from five overs.

It did take Broad until the third over to make the breakthrough but Peter Moor, fresh from a century in the warm-up fixture at Essex last weekend, was pinned in front lbw for 10.

Broad’s next over produced even more drama with Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie out for a five-ball duck after he edged to second slip where Zak Crawley took an excellent low catch diving to his left.

Harry Tector followed his skipper back to the pavilion two balls later when he inexplicably flicked straight to Potts at leg slip but Broad was denied a hat-trick opportunity when an lbw decision against Stirling was overturned on review after ball-tracker showed it was missing leg stump.

It enabled Stirling to lead a mini-recovery for Ireland but his enterprising 30 was ended when his attempted sweep flicked off his glove and gave Jonny Bairstow a simple catch behind the stumps to help Leach get off the mark this summer.

Stirling had put on 45 for the fourth wicket with opener McCollum, who made it to lunch unbeaten on 29 but his pursuit of a maiden Test fifty ended early into the afternoon session.

Again it was the third over of Broad’s spell that did the trick, with McCollum squared up and only able to edge to Joe Root at first slip to depart for a hard-fought 36 off 108 deliveries.

Warm applause greeted Ireland’s hundred via a single from Lorcan Tucker, but the wicketkeeper became Leach’s second victim when he was hit on his front pad and a review adjudged the delivery to be clipping off-stump.

Campher and Andy McBrine tried to shift the momentum and take the attack to England, but Potts had the last laugh when the latter edged behind an 88.9mph delivery to Bairstow.

Debutant Josh Tongue continued to admirably back up the England attack and hit 91mph at one stage, but Campher survived his sharp bouncer and a concussion check to reach tea unbeaten.

England’s Test summer failed to get off to the best start after the team bus was delayed on its way to Lord’s by Just Stop Oil protesters.

Jonny Bairstow posted a photo on his Instagram story on Thursday morning, which showed Just Stop Oil protesters and police officers in front of their team coach in the middle of a road in Kensington by England’s hotel.

Bairstow’s caption read: “If we’re a bit late, it’s not our fault.”

However,  there was no delay to proceedings on the opening day of the one-off Test against Ireland with the four-day contest getting under way at 11am as planned – despite the five-minute delay to the team’s journey.

Just Stop Oil protesters were able to disrupt the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham between Saracens and Sale last weekend.

Two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts invaded the pitch midway through the first half and threw orange paint powder onto the field before being removed by security staff.

A similar incident occurred at the Crucible during the World Snooker Championship in April.

Robert Milkins’ match against Joe Perry was interrupted when a man wearing a Just Stop Oil T-shirt jumped on to table one and tipped orange powder over the cloth.

Amid the threat of potential protests this week at Lord’s, the MCC said it has enhanced its security measures in some areas for this match.

“We look forward to welcoming players and spectators to the first international Test match of the summer at Lord’s. Their safety and security is the highest priority for MCC,” an MCC spokesperson told the PA news agency.

“We have a number of ground regulations that help us achieve that; including not entering the playing area or demonstrating.

“Whilst protests would disrupt the game, we have a number of security measures in place, some visible, some less so to deter this. In some areas we have enhanced those existing provisions ahead of this summer’s schedule.”

England’s Test summer failed to get off to the best start after the team bus was held up on its way to Lord’s by Just Stop Oil protesters.

Jonny Bairstow posted a photo on his Instagram story on Thursday morning, which showed Just Stop Oil protesters and police officers in front of their team coach in the middle of the road.

Bairstow’s caption read: “If we’re a bit late it’s not our fault.” Day one of the one-off Test between England and Ireland is set to start at 11am.

Just Stop Oil protesters were also able to disrupt the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham between Saracens and Sale last weekend.

Two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts invaded the pitch midway through the first half and threw orange paint power onto the field before being removed by security staff.

A similar incident occurred at the Crucible during the World Snooker Championships in April.

Robert Milkins’ match against Joe Perry was interrupted when a man wearing a Just Stop Oil T-shirt jumped on to table one and tipped orange powder over the cloth.

England begin their red-ball campaign with a four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s before the Ashes gets under way on June 16.

Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher will see his dream become a reality when he steps out to play in this week’s Test at Lord’s.

Campher has already played three Tests for Ireland this year and made a century against Sri Lanka in April but is desperate to feature at the ‘Home of Cricket’ against England.

The prestige of the four-day fixture has been scrutinised since it was revealed the visitors’ star bowler Josh Little would not be involved, while Cricket Ireland’s high performance director Richard Holdsworth labelled the second red-ball meeting between the nations as “a special occasion” but not a “pinnacle event”.

But Campher told the PA news agency: “Anyone that has played cricket would be lying if they say they don’t dream of playing at Lord’s.

“It will be an amazing thing to play England in a Test match at Lord’s. It is massive and a real historic venue, with all the history behind it.

“To be a part of that is really, really cool and just to be a Test-playing cricketer is a massive thing. To be part of history, no-one can take that away from you.

“Everyone is buzzing for the week of Test cricket.”

The journey of Johannesburg-born Campher to this point has been recounted many times with an exchange with his now agent Niall O’Brien during a match in 2018 able to speed up the process of the 24-year-old going on to represent Ireland.

Campher always held an Irish passport, due to his grandmother being from Northern Ireland, and had ambitions to play club cricket during the South African winter months once his studies stopped.

Yet in the summer of 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he found himself fast-tracked into the senior international set-up and handed his debut in an ODI series against England.

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“I was happy to just carry water but before I knew it I was playing the first game versus England, so it has been an amazing three years,” Campher said.

Back-to-back fifties in losing causes provided a glimpse of what was to come from the all-rounder before Ireland ended the three-match series with victory over the world champions after Kevin O’Brien hit the winning runs.

O’Brien has since followed brother Niall into retirement after a stellar career and, while Campher is too modest to acknowledge any type of passing of the baton, he has taken plenty from one of Ireland’s all-time greats.

Campher added: “It was nice to rub shoulders with Kev for the few years I played with him.

“He has done so much for Irish cricket, the contributions he made were immense so if you can have half the career Kev has had, you’ve had a flipping good career!

“Kev is very calm, very relaxed and tries to simplify things. I have tried to take on that approach myself.”

O’Brien memorably crunched a remarkable 63-ball innings of 113 against England at the 2011 World Cup that propelled Ireland to a first ever victory over their rivals.

While Campher may be in the infancy of his own international career, he already appears to have the same panache as the previous all-rounder in the XI.

After arriving on the scene with scores of 59 not out and 68 against England, he has continued to save his best for the big occasion with four wickets in four balls during a T20 clash with Netherlands at the 2021 World Cup and last year’s tournament saw an unbeaten 72 down Scotland.

Campher also followed in O’Brien’s footsteps by scoring a Test century for Ireland earlier this year and knows what any notable achievements this week would mean.

“England are a class act but if I can contribute and help the team in any way, that would be a bonus,” he said.

“Everyone does look to want to be up on the honours board but that is too far to look.

“If it does happen, it happens, but if not life will still go on.”

A key feature of Campher’s strong form over the past 12 months has been enjoyment being at the forefront of his mind, but that should not take away from his determination.

So high is the belief of the Munster Reds player that he had privately targeted reaching three figures for Ireland long before he reached the milestone.

He is also acutely aware he has won two of his four meetings with England, most recently at the T20 World Cup in October.

Campher said: “A few of the lads have joked about how, since some of us made our debuts (in 2020), we’ve played England four times and won two and lost two.

“They said if we can keep that record going, we’ll have a pretty good careers!”

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has named four uncapped players in a 42-man training squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

Munster wing Calvin Nash, Leinster backs Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne and Ulster hooker Tom Stewart have all been included.

Leinster back Jordan Larmour and Munster fly-half Joey Carbery miss out, though, for a first block of training that starts on June 18.

Ireland have World Cup warm-up games against Italy, England and Samoa in August, with their tournament opener coming against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9.

A warm-weather training camp in Portugal is also planned for August before Farrell confirms his 33-player World Cup squad.

“It is exciting to announce our extended training squad for the first phase of Rugby World Cup preparations, and we are looking forward to assembling in Dublin next month to hit the ground running as a group,” Farrell told irishrugby.ie.

“It is pleasing to see that selection has been as tough as ever, as real quality players have initially been unfortunate to have missed out.

“I am sure that camp will be competitive enough as we grow minds and bodies and look to push on with our game from last season.

“In the meantime, it’s important that we freshen up for a busy and exciting summer ahead so we are ready to get to work on June 18.”

Training squad: Backs – B Aki (Connacht), C Blade (Connacht), R Byrne (Leinster), C Casey (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), K Earls (Munster), C Frawley (Leinster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster), M Hansen (Connacht), R Henshaw (Leinster), H Keenan (Leinster), J Lowe (Leinster), S McCloskey (Ulster), C Murray (Munster), C Nash (Munster), J O’Brien (Leinster), J Osborne (Leinster), G Ringrose (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), J Stockdale (Ulster).

Forwards – R Baird (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht), T Beirne (Munster), J Conan (Leinster), G Coombes (Munster), C Doris (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), C Healy (Leinster), I Henderson (Ulster), R Herring (Ulster), R Kelleher (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), J McCarthy (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), T O’Toole (Ulster), A Porter (Leinster), C Prendergast (Connacht), J Ryan (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Stewart (Ulster), K Treadwell (Ulster), J van der Flier (Leinster).

Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne are facing a race against time to be fit for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar next month.

Frontman Ogbene is working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered during Rotherham’s 1-0 Sky Bet Championship win over Middlesbrough on May 1, while Preston midfielder Browne is continuing his rehabilitation from medial ligament damage sustained at QPR on April 7.

Speaking after a four-day training camp with his EFL and League of Ireland-based players in Bristol, manager Stephen Kenny said: “Chiedozie Ogbene had a hamstring tear with Rotherham and hasn’t been able to participate this week, so we’ll have to see how that is. Alan Browne as well, [is] coming back from a medial injury, so these are dilemmas for us.”

Ogbene in particular has become a key member of Kenny’s team – he started the 1-0 defeat by World Cup finalists France at the Aviva Stadium in March as Ireland opened their Group B campaign – while Browne has scored against Belgium, Scotland and Norway in the last year or so.

The squad is due to be finalised next week – Atletico Madrid defender Matt Doherty will join up after his club’s final LaLiga fixture at Villarreal on June 4 – before preparations begin in earnest.

Despite a resilient display against Didier Deschamps’ men, the Republic know they may need to take maximum points from June’s double-header – they face Greece in Athens on Friday, June 16 and Gibraltar in Dublin three days later – if they are to force their way out of a difficult group which also includes the Netherlands.

That, however, may prove easier said than done in the heat of the Greek capital – Ireland will spend nine days training in the Turkish resort of Antalya in a bid to acclimatise – and with the hosts having topped their group in Nations League C.

Kenny said: “Greece are a good team, they won their Nations League group so we’re going to have to really perform to a high level. We need to make sure we are absolutely 100 per cent, and going to Turkey will help us, training in similar conditions, get ourselves ready.

“We go to Athens on the Wednesday and play on the Friday against Greece before we come back and play, and I heard that 42,00 have already been sold for Gibraltar, which is fantastic. It would be great to have a full house there if we could on the Monday night.

“But at the moment, we’re firmly focused on our preparations for that, and I think that will give us a chance, our preparations here, coming to Bristol, going to Turkey.

“Hopefully some of the players can come through some of their injury difficulties and if so, we want to make sure we’re ready.”

James Anderson is ready to sit out England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland but is confident a groin strain picked up on county duty will not hold him back from next month’s Ashes opener.

The country’s record wicket-taker pulled up sore during day one of Lancashire’s LV= County Championship clash against Somerset last week and sat out the remainder of the clash.

His absence brought back memories of the 2019 series against Australia, when he battled back from a torn calf only to break down again on the first morning of the first Test and bring an early end to his summer.

Scans allayed the worst of those fears and even allowed the 40-year-old to appear in a 15-man squad for the one-off Lord’s Test against Ireland on June 1, but England may ultimately be happier to wrap their lead seamer in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes opener at Edgbaston two weeks later.

“I think I will be fit for the Ireland game. Whether I play or not is probably another matter really. I definitely don’t want to risk it,” he said, at an appearance for new England sponsors Radox.

“I am desperate to be fit for the first Ashes Test. If that means missing the Ireland Test, so be it.

“I feel good. I had a scan on the second day of that game – it was a little groin strain. It’s a 10-day recovery period, and I’m rehabbing already, running next week.

“It was the best result of a bad situation. That situation (in 2019) was a different injury, a more serious injury. I ripped my calf earlier that summer, and it was a real push to try to get fit for that first Test. I don’t feel like this is anywhere near that severity.”

Anderson was making his fourth appearance of the county season when he went down at Emirates Old Trafford, tuning up nicely with 16 wickets, and realised instantly he needed to withdraw.

“I was disappointed to have to pull out of a game but, with what’s to come in the summer, it was actually a pretty good result,” he said.

“It was weird how it worked out. The last ball of my spell I felt something not quite right. I came straight off, and then we came pretty much straight off for rain after that. I pulled up the next day and it wasn’t right. I went for a scan that night and it showed a strain, so there was no point risking it.”

Anderson’s likely absence against Ireland creates opportunities elsewhere, with the returning pace pair of Chris Woakes and Matthew Potts eager for action as they seek to force their way back in.

:: Anderson was speaking at a partnership launch announcing Radox as an official partner of England Cricket. Radox will be keeping cricketers and fans feeling refreshed this summer.

Antoine Dupont has been named the 2023 Six Nations Player of the Championship, while grand slam victors Ireland dominate the Team of the Championship.

France’s scrum-half is just the third player to win the award back-to-back, and only the second to claim it three times after also winning in 2020.

It puts him alongside Brian O’Driscoll, who won in 2006, 2007 and 2009, after receiving 26 per cent of the fan vote.

He edged out team-mates Thomas Ramos and Damian Penaud – leading try-scorer of the 2023 Championship with five – as well as Irish trio Caelan Doris, Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen who were also shortlisted.

The Team of the Championship also sported a blue and green flavour with a combined 13 players named between the two teams after their superb performances.

Lock Thibaud Flament was the only non-Irishman included the forward pack, while Dupont was partnered with Johnny Sexton at fly-half after the latter ended his final Six Nations tournament with victory. 

Penaud, Doris, Keenan and Hansen were all also included, with Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Finlay Bealham completing a front row lockout for Ireland among the selections.

Scotland centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones marked the only representation from beyond Andy Farrell and Fabien Galthie's sides, following an impressive campaign that saw Gregor Townsend's men come third.

Ireland and France will now set their sights on a successful World Cup campaign later this year, with the latter set to play host when the tournament begins in September.

England fullback Freddie Steward has been cleared to play for his country with immediate effect after the red card he received against Ireland was overturned.

Steward was dismissed in England's final Six Nations clash of this year's tournament as they lost 29-16 to Grand Slam winners Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The 22-year-old received the contentious red near the end of the first half after his shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.

Steward appeared before an independent disciplinary committee via video link to protest his innocence.

The committee determined that head contact with an opposing player had occurred and believed it had been an act of foul play, adding Steward "had been reckless in his actions and in his upright positioning as he approached and came into highly dangerous contact with the other player".

However, it was also decided that "there were sufficient mitigating factors including the late change in the dynamics and positioning of the opposing player which should have resulted in the issue of a yellow card rather than a red card".

The decision means Steward will not face a ban and is free to play again immediately.

England captain Owen Farrell said after the game: "I was surprised [at the red card] if I am honest. But it is not up to us, we don't make the rules, we don't put them in place, we don't hear what goes on on the ref mic and the process that they go through.

"That is the decision they came to and you have to accept it."

Former New Zealand coach Steve Hansen warned in-form Ireland they still have a huge point to prove at the Rugby World Cup this year.

Andy Farrell's side completed a Grand Slam against England on Saturday, sealing a Six Nations crown and reaffirming their place as the world's number one team.

But with France 2023 looming in just under half-a-year, they will have to overcome their own history, having never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.

Hansen, who knocked Ireland out in the last eight with the All Blacks four years ago in Japan, feels they must defy their own tournament reputation to triumph.

"They are going well, [are] ranked number one in the world, and they have had a great year so far," he said.

"Every time a team is number one in the world, you have got to consider them to be a World Cup contender. But it is a tough tournament to win.

"They have seemed to struggle a little bit at World Cups. If it was the All Blacks, they would probably be called chokers. They have come a long way, they believe in themselves. They are a very good side.

"So they are definitely a contender. But they will have to overcome the pressure of not having gone past the quarter-finals before, and there will be a lot of pressure involved in that.

"If they get through to the semi-finals, then they are in new territory. That is something they will have to deal with that they've never dealt with before, and it is always hard to deal with something you haven't dealt with before."

Ireland open their campaign against Romania on September 9, before they face Tonga, Scotland and reigning champions South Africa.

Andy Farrell believes Ireland have "a long way to go" before reaching the peak of their powers despite winning the Grand Slam.

Ireland were crowned Six Nations champions on Saturday after beating England 29-16 at the Aviva Stadium.

Farrell's side are top of the rankings following 10 consecutive victories and will be expected to mount a strong challenge to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time in France later this year.

Yet the Ireland head coach is demanding more from his players after they celebrated a fourth Grand Slam triumph.

"I said to you in New Zealand, 'now this was the start of our World Cup year'," Farrell said.

"The most pleasing thing is that we've continued to be successful. To find a way. Everyone was nervous about that except us.

"This is part of the journey, isn't it? Obviously this stands on its own right, as does the New Zealand tour.

"But it's part of the journey of us as a group going forward into a World Cup. Like I said, we'll get two or three months pre-season training for the first time together and I expect ourselves to be better obviously because of that.

“We've carried on winning, is that the yardstick? I don't know.

"We just go on the performances and the performances were pretty good in New Zealand and we've continued to again find a way.

"It's never been perfect, but the game is not like that, so the mental strength of our game and large parts of our game are in a good place.

"There's a long way for us to go for us to be at our best which is a great sign."

England captain Owen Farrell was "surprised" by Freddie Steward's red card during his team's 29-16 defeat to Ireland in the final round of the Six Nations.

Steward received the contentious red right at the end of the first half after the fullback's shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.

It was Steward's first red card in what was his 22nd match in Test rugby for his country, and was England's first Six Nations red card since Charlie Ewels was sent off against Ireland last year.

"I was surprised if I am honest," Farrell said after the game. "But it is not up to us, we don't make the rules, we don't put them in place, we don't hear what goes on on the ref mic and the process that they go through. That is the decision they came to and you have to accept it.

"I thought the game was a brilliant contest. I thought it was a brilliant Test match and the way that we reacted after we got that red card was very good.

"I thought we fought for each other and unfortunately we didn't get out the right side of the result which is very disappointing in an England shirt but the reaction to things that didn't go our way – and the card being one of them – especially after last week I thought was brilliant."

England head coach Steve Borthwick would not be drawn on the incident, only explaining his thought process when it happened.

"To be honest, my thinking was, 'Red card, we are down to 14, what is the significance, what do we need to make from a tactical adjustment point of view?'" he said. "Whenever a referee goes through a disciplinary process like that, I'm thinking as a coach, 'Right, if it goes this way, what is the significance?' That is where my head turned to."

He did though eventually add: "If we are talking about tackle height, we can have a conversation about tackle height. That is fine. What was clear there was that Freddie was not trying to make a tackle.

"There will be a disciplinary procedure. It is not right for Owen and me to be talking about the incident. The decision happened and quite rightly the England team respects the decision.

"The players were magnificent on the pitch. They respect the decision that happened, and we talk about how we adapt thereafter. He [Steward] wasn't trying to make a tackle so it's not about tackle height."

Johnny Sexton says winning a Grand Slam in his final Six Nations campaign is "like living in a dream" and has vowed there is more to come from Ireland heading into the Rugby World Cup.

Ireland defeated England 29-16 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday to make it five wins from five in this year's tournament and finish seven points ahead of France.

Sexton, who will retire after this year's World Cup in France, kicked nine points to become the competition's outright all-time leading points scorer with 566 to his name.

Ireland were far from perfect on the day, with England within one point of their opponents after an hour despite being reduced to 14 men, but Sexton could not have been happier.

"You could not make this up, it is like living in a dream," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We did not play our best but what a team. What a group of coaches.

"We did nothing that they told us, in fact the exact opposite, but we made things hard for ourselves.

"England are a top-class team. To get a win on St Patrick's weekend is unbelievable. We did not quite nail it, but we did enough.

"It is the best tournament to play in, the best country to play for. We are so proud to be Irish."

Ireland have now won their last 14 Tests, but in an ominous warning to their World Cup rivals, Sexton said: "It does not feel like the end for us.

"There is plenty left in this team. We need to improve on today and we will be back."

Ireland were helped by a contentious red card issued to Freddie Steward right at the end of the first half after the fullback's shoulder connected with the head of Hugo Keenan.

The hosts were four points better off at that point in Dublin thanks to the first of Dan Sheehan's two tries and Sexton's record-breaking penalty.

Robbie Henshaw and Sheehan appeared to put Ireland completely out of reach before Jamie George's score gave England a glimmer of hope.

But Rob Herring got the party in full swing with a bonus-point clinching try late on to seal the Grand Slam in style for the world's top-ranked nation.

"It means so much to everyone. To be able to do a St Patrick's weekend and win a Grand Slam is always going to be special," Ireland head coach Andy Farrell told ITV Sport.

"It was squeaky bum time at 10-9. The pressure that France put on in the last couple of games, we knew it was win at all costs.

"It was a proper old-fashioned Test match. We were disappointed with some aspects of our game but we've a bonus-point win. That's where we're at at the moment."

Sexton led the Irish celebrations by lifting the trophy in front of a delirious home crowd, and Farrell hopes there could yet be an even bigger send-off for the all-time great.

"Hopefully there's bigger fish to fry for Johnny with the World Cup," Farrell said. "It's unbelievable for him to have this moment and lift the trophy.

"He wanted to lift it with someone else and I said he mustn't. He deserves it. What a way for him to go out of the Six Nations."

Ireland sealed a third Six Nations Grand Slam with a 29-16 win over 14-man England on a day captain Johnny Sexton also became the tournament's outright all-time leading points scorer.

France put the pressure on Ireland by moving into top spot with victory over Wales earlier on Saturday, but Andy Farrell's side responded at the Aviva Stadium in the final fixture of the tournament.

Ireland were helped by a contentious red card issued to Freddie Steward on the stroke of half-time, at which point the first of Dan Sheehan's two tries and Sexton's record-breaking penalty had given the hosts a four-point advantage. 

Robbie Henshaw and Sheehan appeared to put Ireland completely out of reach before Jamie George's score gave England a glimmer of hope, but Rob Herring got the party in full swing in Dublin with a bonus point-clinching try late on.

Johnny Sexton became the highest points scorer in Six Nations history as the Ireland captain topped Ronan O'Gara's record haul in Saturday's showdown with England.

Fly-half Sexton, who plans to retire after the Rugby World Cup later this year, remains a hugely significant part of the Ireland team who sit top of the world rankings and headed into their final fixture of this year's Six Nations with a Grand Slam in their sights.

The 37-year-old came into the match with 557 points in the Six Nations, level with former team-mate O'Gara.

He slotted over with 18 minutes on the clock against England at the Aviva Stadium to move top of the list outright.

The record held by Sexton covers the entirety of the Six Nations, as well as its previous incarnation as the Five Nations.