You can tell there’s a World Cup on next year: Ireland are hitting their peak. Still, this was an ominous statement of intent by Andy Farrell’s side at a blustery and bellicose Aviva Stadium: standards set, gauntlets thrown down.
The trip to Paris already feels like the potential crux of this tournament, which feels like a faintly ridiculous statement to make after 80 minutes of play. But for Ireland and their long-agonising supporters, it may just be time to start believing the hype. It was a measure of Ireland’s dominance that a normally edgy crowd had begun to relax well before the end.
