Stuart McCloskey insists he has moved on from his Six Nations snub under former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.
The Ulster centre started against Wales last weekend to end a seven-year wait since his last and only other Six Nations appearance.
McCloskey's international career has started to build momentum under Andy Farrell, with the 30-year-old having started in Ireland's last four outings.
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"Maybe I'm a better player than I was back then. I think my game has improved," said McCloskey when asked why he was overlooked during Schmidt's reign.
"There's obviously been a lot of competition there during the years. Maybe I just didn't fit Joe's eye - that's in the past, not something to worry about now.
"I'm fairly comfortable with how to play the game now and maybe I was over-thinking a bit when I was younger. I think I just know the game better now than I did when I was 23, 24.
"I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how Andy wants us to play the game. I understand where I need to be and how to help the rest of the team. It's not just about how I'm playing.
"It's about how I get everybody else involved in the game. It's easy when you're coming into such a good team.
"We're number one in the world. We haven't lost too much over the last 24 months.
"Obviously I can still carry and I can still off-load but hopefully some of the passing game and some of the kicking game has shone through in the last two or three years, not just for Ireland but for my club."
He added: “I probably had a bit more hard feelings at the time but I’m a bit older, that’s the way it is sometimes, you don’t get the luck, you don’t get the rub of the green.
“It will be five (starts) in a row at the weekend, so it’s a nice place to be in. I feel a lot more comfortable now with my game and what I can do, whether it’s the first or 80th minute, whereas I was over-thinking it when I was younger.”
Meanwhile, McCloskey believes this weekend's showdown with France in Dublin could be a Six Nations decider.
The clash sees the top two sides in the world collide at the Aviva Stadium.
McCloskey said: "Yeah, it's one against two, they haven't lost in 14 games, we're obviously number one in the world.
"But we lost to them last year away so I suppose it's probably the biggest game in the Six Nations, isn't it, us against them - and hopefully it will decide how it goes in the tournament.
"So yeah, it's a massive game."
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