Stats dominance shows how Ireland cruised to another Six Nations title

Ireland's second Guinness Six Nations title in succession didn't result in another Grand Slam, but there is little doubt as to who were the best team in the tournament. And the stats back that up.

Ben Kay and Ross Hamilton have analysed the entire tournament to look to explain where the areas of dominance were and where certain teams lacked.

"No real surprises that Ireland are the champion side. From week one it almost looked like it was going to be a procession," said Ben Kay on the latest episode of Beyond 80 on RugbyPass TV.

"Having said that, the last couple of rounds were probably their toughest games."

Ireland were edged by England thanks to a last minute Marcus Smith drop goal and against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in their last match, they were made to work hard for the win.

"If we do look at the tournament as a whole, they were the best side and they still won the championship, of course, but it was some of their stats across every games," explained analyst Hamilton.

"We have hundreds of stats that we go through, some are a bit more important ones. To be at the top of any of those lists is quite impressive, to have one or two. To be at the top of so many attacking stats, like Ireland are, is unseen before.

Ireland's attacking statistics showed how they dominated multiple facets of play throughout the tournament.

"To have that level of dominance... Credit where it's due to Ireland, they had so many; the most points scored in the competition, the most tries, they had the most carries, they had the most running meters,  they had the most meters gained over the gain line, the most post-contact meters, the most in-contact meters, the most carries over the gain line, the most tacklers committed to their carries, most line breaks, highest possession time, highest territory time, that gave them the fastest average ruck speed, and the most red zone entries.

"The fact that they have so many of those that are so dominant across all the teams, just gave them everything they needed and was enough in the end - with obviously a loss against England - but enough to get them the championship."

While they were certainly tested at times, the way they adapted is what stood out for former England second row Kay.

"If you think about all those stats and think about watching Ireland play as well, the impressive thing is the variation in the way they can find different ways to score.

"A lot of teams have a USP where they're very good at certain things, be that a lineout drive, or the forwards play when they get into the red zone, but Ireland can do everything on attack."

Currently ranked number two in the world behind South Africa and ahead of New Zealand, Ireland will face the world champion Springboks in South Africa in July for a two-test series, kicking off at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 6.

You can watch the full episode of Beyond 80 on RugbyPass TV now.