Heading into the Rugby World Cup, one of the main questions surrounding this Ireland team was the condition of Johnny Sexton.
Their captain had not played competitive rugby for six months, missing the end of the club season due to injury before being suspended for the tournament warmup games due to his actions during Leinster's Champions Cup final loss.
While Sexton has always shown an ability to quickly get back into the groove after a spell on the sidelines, his age made it less of a certainty this time around.
Thankfully, he already looked like he was back to his best during the win over Romania. The opposition may not have been of the highest calibre, but his showing certainly was.
For some, it wasn't only his level of performance that caught the eye.
Gordon D'Arcy notices major difference in Johnny Sexton at Rugby World Cup
Johnny Sexton is a hugely intense character on the rugby pitch, something that has made him into the world class player that he is. In saying that, some feel that he has mellowed somewhat in recent weeks.
Speaking on ITV, Gordon D'Arcy said that it was noticeable just how much the 38-year old seemed to be enjoying his time in France up to this point.
It's all about momentum for this Irish team and Johnny Sexton is very important to that momentum. He is one of the keystone players and he wanted to play.
Andy Farrell has been very consistent with his selections, when he has players fit they play. I think he's looking at this thinking 'why start changing that now?'..
Do you know what, he looks relaxed. That's not something we often say about Johnny on the field. Off the field he's one of the most engaging and personable guys, but on the field it's all about that intensity, sometimes against his better judgement.
The intensity definitely hasn't dropped, but he looks like, I'd say he's almost enjoying his rugby. Players when they have that endpoint in sight, they often talk about no regrets. That's really important.
He won't want to look back at this period and wonder 'did I enjoy that as much as I could?'
He looks like he is enjoying his rugby, but thankfully that intensity is still there.
It remains to be seen if this will be the case as Ireland face into tougher games as the Rugby World Cup advances, although it looks as though Johnny Sexton is soaking in every moment at his final tournament.
Hopefully he will be able to end it on a high come the business end of the event next month.
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