2009 Six Nations Championship their arrival at Dublin Airport. Brian O'Driscoll described 21 March as a “sweet, sweet day”. The game was watched by 945,000 people in Ireland, the highest rating television programme in the country by that stage of 2009. Former coach Eddie O'Sullivan was said to be "delighted" for the team. Brian O'Driscoll was named player of the tournament, beating Italy's Sergio Parisse and Ireland teammate Paul O'Connell. O'Connell was later named captain of the British and Irish Lions team to tour South Africa and containing fourteen members of the Grand Slam winning Irish team on 21 April 2009, describing it as
Grand Slam (rugby union) wins the Grand Slam will get three bonus points. This will eliminate the possibility of a Grand Slam winner losing the championship on bonus points. "* In 1908 and 1909 matches with France were played, although they were not part of the Championship." A Grand Slam tour is one in which a touring national team from , and plays Test matches against all four home nations (, , and ). If the tourists win all four of these games, they are said to have achieved a Grand Slam. Some Grand Slam tours made visits to play , and South Africa