Ireland clinched their Six Nations title with a hard-fought 17-13 win over Scotland at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
The Irishman came into the game after a heavy defeat to England and rebuilt his team to victory thanks to tries from front row duo Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter.
Jack Crowley added seven points from a tee against a steely Scotland side who had struggled with possession but had defended formidably on the road.
Scotland finished with three losses and two wins, with Huw Jones scoring the only try of the game late on, Finn Russell converting and two penalties.
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Andy Farrell's hosts avoided any major 'Super Saturday' drama to retain their champion title, although they fell well short of their free-flowing best in Dublin.
Underdogs Scotland crossed the Irish Sea with a slim chance of snatching the title, but after suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Italy in Round 4, realistically they were aiming for their first treble since 1990. Ta.
Their mission to break the script started on a positive note thanks to an early Russell penalty before George Turner's brought down lineout gave Sheehan his fifth try of the tournament.
A lucky 13th-minute goal from Crawley did little to ease Ireland's nerves, but the spirited Scots kept up the pressure with three more points from Russell.
Ireland player review: Jamison Gibson-Park leads hosts to back-to-back Six Nations titles
Farrell's team struggled to gain meaningful ground in a subdued atmosphere in an unstable opening game that saw mistakes and frequent exchanges of kicks.
Crawley wasted a penalty from distance to extend a slim advantage while the intrepid Scotland remained relatively untroubled and threatened on the counter-attack.
Ireland were forced to replace injured full-back Hugo Keenan with Jordan Larmour just before kick-off, and although they are trudging down the tunnel with just a point lead, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend admitted before the match that his team needed to produce “something special” to bounce back from the disastrous result in Rome, which spoiled the Irish team.
Crowley scored directly before the visitors were given a significant reprieve when Tajig Furlong's apparent touchdown was chalked off after a long review with referee Matthew Curley ruling that the ball had been deflected. Made the uphill challenge a little more difficult with a penalty.
A heroic last-minute defense was the only thing that prevented the rampaging home side from taking full control of the game, with a new goal in hand.
Scotland player review: Blair Kinghorn and Andy Christie shine after brave loss to Ireland
Scotland flanker Andy Christie brilliantly stopped an interweaving Calvin Nash on the try line from a touch away before rusty Ireland substitute Garry Ringrose produced an inexplicable fumble.
Ringrose, making his first appearance in the tournament after a shoulder injury, redeemed himself with a lung-damaging interception run that led to Ireland's decisive second try.
Robbie Henshaw was adjudged to have been stranded on the line moments later after a yellow card from Ewan Ashman until Porter powered over from a tap-and-go penalty.
The supporters responded with an enthusiastic rendition of Fields of Athenry, fully believing the mission was accomplished.
However, the home fans were forced to endure a nervous final few minutes after substitute fly-half Harry Byrne was found guilty of challenging Russell head-on and Scottish center Jones scored a touchdown. Ta.
Ireland suitably avoided further trouble as they jubilantly celebrated their fifth Six Nations victory in 11 years and sixth overall, underscoring their status as a major power in the northern hemisphere.
team
Ireland: 15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundy Aki, 11 James Rowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Sheeran Doris, 7 Josh van der Vlier , 6 Peter O'Mahony (c), 5 Tajig Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tajig Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacement: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Garry Ringrose.
Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Hugh Jones, 12 Stafford McDowall, 11 Duan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Durge (cc), 6 Andy Christie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Xander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schumann
Replacement: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliott Miller-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Kyle Rowe
Referee: Matthew Curley (England)
Assistant referee: Carl Dixon (England), Christoph Ridley (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
read more: Ireland vs Scotland: 5 points to help the 'deserved' champions win back-to-back Six Nations titles
