Ireland ripped apart Scotland in an impressive 36-14 win to finish top of their group at the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Saturday while England survived a scare to beat Samoa by a point.
England, the only Northern Hemisphere team to have claimed rugby's biggest prize, squeezed past the Pacific Islanders 18-17 in Lille thanks to a late Danny Care try.
But in their demolition of the Scots at the Stade de France, building on their defeat of South Africa, the Irish underlined they have what it takes to become the second world champions from the hemisphere.