Ireland were denied the Six Nations championship despite a 43-21 victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium, a result which secured the Triple Crown.
After beating England, Wales, and now Scotland, Ireland have picked up a fourth Triple Crown in the last five years, but ultimately finished second to France in the table.
Converted tries from Jamie Osborne and Dan Sheehan plus a diving effort from Robert Baloucoune earned them a 19-7 lead at half-time after a breathless opening 20 minutes.
Scotland had hit back through a Darcy Graham try and added further tries through Russell and Rory Darge, but Ireland matched them and then some to seal an emphatic victory.
Darragh Murray on debut picked up the bonus-point score for his side before Jack Crowley added a penalty and Tommy O'Brien went in twice, the second with just 20 seconds remaining.
Their bonus point win meant they had an evening of supporting England and they were on the brink of glory as Steve Borthwick's side led in the dying moments, only to see a last-gasp Thomas Ramos penalty snatch the championship for France.
Scotland's wait for a Six Nations title, meanwhile, continues into 2027, and they finish third in the 2026 standings. They also continue their wait for a win in Dublin having now lost 12 in a row there.
The sides treated spectators to four tries in a blistering opening 20-minute period. Osborne picked up the quickest try of Ireland's 2026 campaign in the third minute from an inventive lineout call, the full-back running a great line that sent him in under the sticks. Crowley converted for a 7-0 lead.
It was not long before Scotland hit back, and after putting 19 phases together the visitors finally got their reward by sending a looping pass out wide to Graham, Russell converting to level things at 7-7.
Sheehan was the next to go over off the back of a classic Irish maul from the lineout. Crowley added the extras once again as they moved 14-7 ahead inside 10 minutes.
An audacious finish from Baloucoune helped extend Ireland's lead in the 20th minute. Off the back of the scrum, some quick thinking and lovely hands helped the home outfit whip it out wide, and the winger backed his pace to dive in at the corner. This time Crowley could not add the conversion.
After an opening 20 minutes that was all about scoring, the second 20 was a war of attrition. Ireland were clearly the side on top, especially in the breakdown, but Scotland's defence stood firm enough to keep them out.
In the second half, Scotland sought to cut out their errors and their reward came as a Ben White wonder-pass saw Russell use his strength to go over and convert his own effort to bring the score to 19-14, the kick helping him pass 500 points in internationals in the process.
Four minutes later, though, Ireland secured a bonus point as debutant Murray battled over after a string of phases. Crowley came through with the conversion again to move his side 26-14 ahead.
That did not deter a fighting Scotland, and with Kyle Steyn surging forward, a series of short passes allowed Darge to spring through and penetrate Ireland's defence once again. Russell sent the conversion over to bring the scoreline to 26-21 and set up an enticing final 20 minutes.
Ireland opted to take the sting out of the game in the 73rd minute by opting to kick a penalty, Crowley obliging once again to extend their advantage to 15 points.
Then, in the dying seconds of the contest, O'Brien found space out wide and used his speed to put the cherry on top of a huge win with his second. With the last play of Ireland's Six Nations 2026, Crowley made it five out of six with the boot for the 43-21 win.
But despite glory in Dublin, they had to settle for second place in the championship.
Ireland captain Caelan Doris, speaking to ITV Sport:
"We asked for a big performance from some of our senior players, our big-match players, and they stood up. Tadhg Beirne was unbelievable.
"We saw what Scotland's attack was capable of last week [against France] and we knew it was going to come again.
"It came in waves but there were big moments to keep them out."
Ireland coach Andy Farrell, speaking to ITV Sport:
"I have just seen Darragh Murray hug his parents and that sums up the day for me. The performance is one thing, the manner is another.
"There have been a lot of firsts for us - first caps, people playing in the Six Nations for the first time, playing on Super Saturday when it counts.
"This will make us more resilient in the long run. The experienced players have passed on what it means to be an international player.
"I thought our bench was immense."
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend, speaking to ITV Sport:
"The second half showed much more of what we can do.
"We needed to be physical and we definitely applied a lot of press. Ireland were very good in their attack today.
"It was a missed opportunity. We didn't play our best game but it is hard to do that. No team has done that for more than two or three games.
"There is [pride and regret] but the players threw everything on the line for their country.
"We have a competitive game that can put teams under pressure. We need to deliver that every game we play."
