Summing up an unsummable-uppable Six Nations Championship

“Well then, what the heck to make of that?” So asks Gerry Thornley in his attempt to sum up an unsummable-uppable Six Nations that was, he says, “the best Championship ever”. Ireland “delivered, and how” against Scotland, but ultimately they fell agonisingly short of winning the title when Thomas Ramos converted that last-minute penalty in Paris. A Triple Crown is no small consolation prize, though, a feat matched by the under-20s on Sunday. Maybe there’s life in Irish rugby yet.

Farrell, who confirmed after the game that he will be sitting down “imminently” with the IRFU to discuss his contract situation, saluted his players for producing one of the “special days”, among them Stuart McCloskey who once again fared mightily in Johnny Watterson’s player ratings - and John O’Sullivan picked him out as Ireland’s player of the tournament.

Among the ‘Five things we learned from the Six Nations’, John gives a nod in the direction of Andy Farrell’s squad management, and he also looks at how Ireland’s oft maligned scrum “resembled a bastion” in the game. Nathan Johns, meanwhile, turns his beady analytical eye on how Ireland’s “set-piece detail returned with a vengeance”.

In Gaelic football, Kerry took a step towards booking their place in the Division One final with “a ruthless dispatching of Mayo”, but Donegal suffered their first defeat of the campaign, Ian O’Riordan in Dr Hyde Park to see Roscommon get the better of them.

Troy Parrott proves again why he is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe

Andy Farrell extracts the very best from his players: Five things we learned from the Six Nations

‘Le solo, le passe à la main’: How Armagh’s Rory Grugan has been promoting Gaelic football in France

Malachy Clerkin took himself off to Croke Park where Armagh, victors over Dublin, “stared into the relegation abyss” and told it “what it could do with itself”. And Galway boosted their hopes of Division One survival by confirming Monaghan’s relegation with an eight-point win in Inniskeen.

Meath and Cork remain on course for promotion from Division Two, Gordon Manning witnessing eight two-pointers sending Meath on their way to a first win over Tyrone since 2007, while Cork stay level with them at the top after beating Kildare. Click here for a menu of all the weekend’s reports.

In hurling, Waterford were relegated from Division 1A after a second-half slump against Tipperary, Seán Moran hearing from a contented Tipp manager Liam Cahill after the game. But the county’s camogie team had a decidedly happier time of it, Waterford booking their place in their first Division 1A final with a win over Kilkenny. Galway, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary are all still in the mix to meet them.

In football, Conor McEvoy reports on yet more Troy Parrott net-busting exploits, while Ken Early writes about another grim weekend for Liverpool. “It’s clear that people are fed up with Slotball, whatever it is.”

Back home, Roscommon’s Fiona Tully and Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy won the All-Ireland Senior Handball titles, while over in New York Peter Lynch became the first Irish athlete to break the one-hour half marathon barrier. And in golf, Rory McIlroy finished 13 shots behind winner Cameron Young at The Players, but, writes Philip Reid, he viewed just being able to complete the four rounds as “a small win”.

In boxing, Ciarán Kirk reports on Belfast’s Anthony Cacace becoming the only male world boxing champion from the island of Ireland and in racing, Brian O’Connor looks back on what proved to a “narky” Cheltenham Festival.

TV Watch: All four of tonight’s selections start at 8pm, so take your pick - Against the Head has the highlights from a rather eventful concluding Six Nations round (RTÉ 2); TG4 has the best of the GAA weekend; Galway United host Waterford in the League of Ireland (Virgin Media Two), and Keith Andrews’ Brentford are at home to Wolves in the Premier League (Sky Sports).