Captain Jo Yapp said:  "All credit to Ireland, they came over here to play rugby and they put up an excellent fight. However, we've improved as the season's gone on and I'd just like to say a big thank you to all the girls and the whole management team and everyone who has worked so hard this season. It has been absolutely brilliant.

"We've got our eyes on the World Cup now. We'll enjoy the fact that we've won the Grand Slam and it has been a couple of years since we've done that but our focus turns to the World Cup from here."
 
Georgia Stevens said: “I am absolutely thrilled that we won. It was a really tough game out there. We came out and did the job. It was very hard after last week's game against France, when we were really high, to come down to earth and have to focus on Ireland. 

“We've made good progress in the Six Nations but with the World Cup coming up we've got to work really hard over the summer and lift the standard again and then lift it some more until we've got it where it needs to be for the World Cup."
 
Karen Andrew said:  "It's fantastic. You can see by the reaction of the team and the squad and the management that everyone wanted this so much. We said at the start of the Six Nations we've got five games to play and win before the World Cup. Now the World Cup is going to be the next international we play and that is going to be really exciting.”

England Women’s head coach Geoff Richards added: “This was a wonderful effort from the girls. They played really well. It was especially difficult after last weekend when there was such a build up to what we knew was going to be a very hard game for us (v France). Then to come here against Ireland and try and repeat the performance was difficult but I thought we did magnificently.

"I've been thinking about the World Cup for some time already. Obviously that is the big focus for the year for us, but the Six Nations is a really big tournament which we wanted to do well in to give us confidence going into the World Cup. There's a lot of rugby left for this year with our Super League and a big summer of training leading into that competition."

Ends…