Four teams had a chance of winning the Six Nations title but realistically it was always going to come down to points scored to decide if England, Ireland or Wales would be crowned champions.

It seemed every team had torn up the play book and reverted to the classic French philosophy of “joue”. With a total of 27 tries and 221 points scored on the final day, nothing summed up the excitement better than when, with 80 minutes on the clock and no hope of winning, France won a penalty near their try line, took a quick tap and tried to run the length of the pitch, handing England one more chance of scoring the try needed.

Anyway, they didn’t get it, Ireland won and now everyone’s attention is on the St Patrick’s Party where I’m sure the rugby will be just as entertaining!

This fixture dates back to 2001 when, in front of 12,500 supporters, the Saints came to ruin the party. However, Irish prevailed that time 13-10 and the occasion has gone on to become bigger and more memorable ever since.

The record attendance came in 2007 when 22,648 supporters saw Brian Smith’s side beat Wasps and witness St Patrick’s Party folklore.

Juan Leguizamon butchered what should have been a fantastic try with a showboating dive over the line. Unfortunately the ball slipped out of his grasp in mid air and Juan was left lying shamefaced. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must on YouTube!

As well as the rugby there’s entertainment for the family throughout the day, the Bible Code Sundays will be performing on the stage in the car park along with cover band The Reels, with DJ Minty directing proceedings. This is the first time Newcastle have participated in the event and we’ll be hoping the near 15,000 pints of Guinness consumed make it a memorable day.

There are still some tickets remaining so get your friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues along to one of the biggest fixtures in the Aviva Premiership rugby calendar and the best party in town!

We hope that all of you joining us will be returning the following weekend as we pursue our dream of some European silverware when Edinburgh visit the Madejski for Challenge Cup quarter finals. So as they say in Ireland - may God Bless and keep in good health your enemies’ enemies.