Henshaw and heslin make it a memorable if wintry sunday
Sunday March 1 will go down as one of Westmeath's most positive sporting days in a long while, after Westmeath's solid Allianz NFL Division 2 win over Kildare was followed up by a try-scoring, man of the match-winning performance from Athlone's Robbie Henshaw, in Ireland's 19-9 RBS Six Nations rugby success over England.
John Heslin finished up with six points from frees and Mullingar Shamrocks' Lorcan Smyth (0-2) put in a tremendous shift up front, as Westmeath overcame the Lilywhites in Newbridge (0-15 to 0-12). Veteran Denis Glennon also had a huge impact, notching up three points.
Goalkeeper and Leinster SFC medallist Gary Connaughton also impressed on his comeback between the sticks, as the Maroons underlined their return to winning ways with a second win in three games.
But the day belonged to Robbie Henshaw, who capped a memorable day for his native county by grabbing the only try in Ireland's comfortable and ruthless Six Nations victory over England at the Aviva Stadium.
The Connacht centre and Marist College alumnus linked up beautifully with out-half Jonny Sexton to catapult Ireland into a 19-3 lead at a crucial stage in the game, earning him a deserved man of the match gong.
The win leaves Ireland in a strong position to retain the Six Nations title, and with away trips to Wales and Scotland approaching, Joe Schmidt's men are also targeting a Triple Crown.
These exploits came on a day when much of the country's sporting venues were hit by severe snowfall, with scores of GAA and soccer fixtures being postponed.
Westmeath's Tesco HomeGrown Ladies NFL Division 2 game against Meath, due to be played in Ashbourne, was one of the casualties.