Billy Vunipola doesn’t lose many games, be it with Saracens of England, so Saturday’s defeat by Ireland might have come as a bit of a shock. The England No 8 was unable to make the impact that many, including himself, will have wanted to have, as the Irish defence negated his power game to take the fight to the recently re-crowned Six Nations champions.

That Ireland recorded a 13-9 victory suggests a tight game, yet it was anything but. Ireland dominated the attack, the defence and the lineout, with England’s only advantage coming in the driving maul and the second-half scrum, once Jack McGrath has left the field.

The outcome meant that England’s failure to get a stranglehold on the game, as they so often do, resulted in Vunipola rarely receiving clean ball on the front foot. The return of the 24-year-old has appeared to bolster the English pack, but they were roundly outplayed by their Irish counterparts who delivered another famous performance, much like the one that ended New Zealand’s 18-match winning streak last October.

“I think the most frustrating thing was that maybe we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Vunipola said after the match. “I guess that was down to Ireland. But, look, we still won the championship so we’re happy with that.

“Obviously the result is not what we wanted, but it happens and we’ll be better for it. It’s been a great run but as people keep saying, it was bound to come to an end and unfortunately it did today. It just shows how hard it is to win a Grand Slam first of all, but even more so to win it back-to-back.”

Despite the disappointment, Vunipola was eager to stress the delight in winning the Six Nations championship or a second year, with the Saracens back-row already looking forwards to the night’s celebrations that would involve “a few chocolates and a few puddings”, though there were much bigger plans in place given his admission that the only rule for the night is “don’t get in trouble”.

Vunipola is one of England’s senior leaders despite his tender age, one of the three vice-captains that Dylan Hartley has, and the last few weeks since he returned to camp after recovering from knee ligament surgery has seen his coach, Eddie Jones, and many of his teammates praising him for saying the right thing at the right time.

Saturday would be no different. The likeable forward still took the time to analyse his own game, and where England went wrong, but stressed that the Grand Slam failure can prove a lesson in how to bounce back given it is the first loss under Jones.

“It was more down to our carrying, myself included,” Vunipola said of where England slipped up. “Just going a bit too high and giving them an opportunity. They’ve got a massive choke tackle threat and it gave them an opportunity to slow the ball down and stop us getting the momentum we’re used to.

“We could have adapted better but a few times we let them back in the game by being a bit too high in the tackle.”

Six Nations team of the tournament Show all 24 1 /24 Six Nations team of the tournament Six Nations team of the tournament Six Nations Team of the Tournament Click through the gallery to see who makes Jack de Menezes' Team of the Six Nations. Getty Six Nations team of the tournament 15. Liam Williams (Wales) Has claims for the player of the tournament award after a brilliant two months. Shone in the absence of Leigh Halfpenny and handled the England kicking game with ease in Cardiff. Should have scored against France but offered so much more than tries to Wales’ Grand Slam cause and is among the very best aerial footballers. AFP/Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 14. Josh Adams (Wales) Early in his international career but has given Warren Gatland a serious selection headache if and when Halfpenny returns, as Adams deserves to be in the starting XV on this form. Tries in three consecutive matches against Italy, England and Scotland, including a moment against the Red Rose that will live long in the memory. PA Six Nations team of the tournament 13. Henry Slade (England) A breakthrough tournament for the versatile centre who finally looks to have found his place in the No 13 shirt. Glides across the field with the ball in hand and his two tries against Ireland helped England banish their Dublin hoodoo. One of the most naturally gifted players of his generation. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 12. Hadleigh Parkes (Wales) Has slotted in seamlessly into the Welsh midfield and saved his biggest impact for the Grand Slam-clinching finale – not just by scoring the first try immediately but also for his try-saving recovery tackle on Ireland’s Jacob Stockdale. Manu Tuilagi certainly impressed with five consecutive appearances and a demolition job on France and Italy, but he could not match Parkes’ defensive reliability. Action Images via Reuters Six Nations team of the tournament 11. Jonny May (England) The tournament’s top scorer brings fans to their feet whenever he receives the ball in space. Only failed to score a try in one of his five matches and bagged rapid 29-minute hat-trick against France. His relationship with Elliot Daly has been a joy to watch. AP Six Nations team of the tournament 10. Finn Russell (Scotland) Alongside Beauden Barrett as the most potent attacking threats at 10 in the world. The way he brought Scotland back into the match against England was breath-taking to watch, and he also impressed in the defeat against Wales. Missed the game against France with concussion, but you can see why Racing 92 offered him the chance to make it big in the Top 14. Action Images via Reuters Six Nations team of the tournament 9. Ben Youngs (England) The most consistent option at 9 as he became England’s most-capped scrum-half with his 85th appearance on the final weekend. Significantly improved his kicking game for the tournament and will head to the World Cup as the unrivalled No 1. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 1. Rob Evans (Wales) Decimated Tadhg Furlong on the scrum as Wales worked out the Irish pack at the set-piece, and he stood up brilliantly in his other big tests against Kyle Sinckler and WP Nel. Mako Vunipola had early claims to the spot but only played one-and-a-half games, whereas Evans is in the most sustained form of his career. PA Six Nations team of the tournament 2. Jamie George (England) Makes playing rugby look enjoyable as he does it with a smile on his face – especially when he bagged his try against Italy. Mr Reliable at the lineout throughout the tournament and probably the most mobile hooker in the Six Nations. PA Six Nations team of the tournament 3. Kyle Sinckler (England) Took a lot of unfair criticism following the Wales defeat and continues to serve an education that will do him only good moving beyond this championship. Looks for work in the back line and possesses the handling ability to warrant his roaming role. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 4. George Kruis (England) Really stepped up his game in the absence of Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes and deserves a lot of plaudits for how he ran the lineout in Dublin. Scored a try as well as set one up for Brad Shields with charge-downs against Italy and can be proud of what he offered the tournament. Action Images via Reuters Six Nations team of the tournament 5. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) A leader by example and the undoubted man of the series. Knew exactly how to get into England and put them under pressure in ways they couldn’t cope, and his sheer defiance to let what looked a bad knee injury forced him off against Ireland was inspiring. Deserved to lift the trophy off a Grand Slam, and he revelled in the moment when it finally came. AP Six Nations team of the tournament 6. Josh Navidi (Wales) If Jones was the player of the series, then Navidi was the breakthrough star of the campaign. Looked at home in the No 6 shirt despite his preference to be on the openside and even got a run out at No 8 against Italy, ensuring he was one of few players to play in every match. His work-rate around the breakdown and in defence was extraordinary. Action Images via Reuters Six Nations team of the tournament 7. Tom Curry (England) Looks like the answer to England’s openside flanker search, and at just 20 years old, he could well be a long-term option at that. Picked up the first two tries of his international career against Wales and Scotland, and it was that display in a losing effort in Cardiff that really stood out. AFP/Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 8. Billy Vunipola (England) By no means did he set the world on fire, but he was the outstanding No 8 of the championship by quite some distance. Having missed the bulk of the last two tournaments with injury, it was a welcome sight to see the powerhouse back-row out there. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 16. Ken Owens (Wales) Brilliant in the loose and would have challenged for the starting shirt if his lineout didn’t falter too often. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 17. Mako Vunipola (England) Could have been the player of the Six Nations had his tournament not ended in the second round. REUTERS Six Nations team of the tournament 18. Tomas Francis (Wales) Has well and truly usurped Samson Lee as Wales’ first-choice tighthead prop and enjoyed a very impressive campaign. REUTERS Six Nations team of the tournament 19. Cory Hill (Wales) Injury cruelly ended his participation after the halfway stage, but his impact in the victory over England cannot be ignored. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 20. Justin Tipuric (Wales) Unlucky to miss out on the starting back-row and was at his disruptive best to plot the English downfall in Cardiff. AFP/Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 21. Antoine Dupont (France) Brought life to a dying French side and looks like a real player to watch for the future. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 22. Gareth Anscombe (Wales) Answered his critics in style after Warren Gatland put his faith in him. Twenty-point haul as Wales secured the Slam was the perfect reward. Getty Images Six Nations team of the tournament 23. Manu Tuilagi (England) How delightful was it to see him back in the England shirt and running at full tilt? Two tries against Italy and a destructive display in Dublin were reminders of why England have missed him so much. REUTERS

He added: “It was completely down to how well Ireland played. We just didn't execute the way we like to.

“It's like life – these are the chances to learn. If we ever find ourselves in the same situation, how can we develop?

“Hopefully we can do better. I have every confidence in the coaching staff. I've just got to go back to the club and see where we can get to in Europe and the Premiership.

Ireland's ability to hold England players up in the tackle meant they could not build any momentum (Getty)

“I think we were always in the game. There was just always an occasion when we let them off the hook when we had them under pressure. We slipped up a few times. We'll learn from it, like I said. Next time, if there is a next time, we'll be better.”