Alphonsi, who scored her fourth try of the championship against the Irish, won the 2010 Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year for her performances last season.

But despite lighting up the 2010 World Cup, Alphonsi feels England have some unfinished business after slipping to a 13-10 defeat to New Zealand in the final at the Stoop.

She said: “I am definitely thinking about three years’ time and another World Cup. That is what drives me. I am 27 now and I will do all I can to get another shot at it.

“The most pleasing aspect of the Grand Slam has been the way we have been able to pick ourselves up from the World Cup final against New Zealand which was a heart-breaking experience.

“We still managed to show we are a strong unit and that by winning the Slam we have now put that out of our systems.

“It is our fifth Grand Slam but in many ways the most special coming from the World Cup.

“This is definitely up there in terms of our achievements. People were deeply affected by that loss but we got it out of our systems.”

The defining feature of England’s championship was their miserly defence, with Italy’s Chiara Castellarin the only player to score a try against them in 400 minutes of rugby.

That came in a 68-5 thrashing at Esher, while Nadege Casenave’s penalty was the only other score conceded by Gary Street’s team in a 16-3 win over France.

England had kicked off the tournament by shutting out Wales 19-0 in Cross Keys before the home wins over Italy and France.

But it was their demonstration at Twickenham against an outclassed Scotland which really caused a stir as they ran in 15 tries in an 89-0 thrashing.

And despite concerns Ireland would prove their hardest challenge, Alphonsi and co took control with an early try for captain Katy McLean, and never let up against Philip Doyle’s team.

Alphonsi added: “During the World Cup we established a reputation for not conceding many points and that is something we have been able to continue into the Six Nations.

“It shows our defensive systems are working but also how hard the team is prepared to work not just to sit back and admire our attacking play.

“Even when we have got tired legs, there’s that personal pride in keeping a shutout.

“I think it comes down to a mental attitude. We have been brought up in a culture where you must do well and must perform every game otherwise you will be dropped.

“If you want to play for England you have to work hard and not ever settle for an average performance.

“I think the scoreline 31-0 makes it look like it was completely one-sided but Ireland presented a greater challenge than anything we had faced before.

“They were all around the pitch trying to put us under a lot of pressure and it felt like a very different game to our previous matches.

“We were actually quite well behaved after. The rugby club put on a live band afterwards but I think people were quite relaxed and a bit too tired to celebrate.”