Just one day after winning the Six Nations for the second successive year, it is notable how muted the celebrations have been in comparison to other Ireland victories in this competition.
Championship winning seasons have not been a regular occurrence in Irish rugby, often going decades without one. That has changed over the last 15 years, with Ireland having now won five of the last 11 editions of the competition.
As Brian O'Driscoll pointed out yesterday, Irish fans cannot take this current run for granted. While that may not be the case, many will already be looking ahead to the summer tour to South Africa.
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Rugby: Horgan names two things Ireland must change before South Africa tour
It is widely suggested that Ireland and South Africa are the two best teams in world rugby at the moment, with the Springboks the rightful holder of that title after their second successive World Cup victory last autumn.
The pair will face off in a two-test series this summer, with the outcome of that one likely to give a good indication of where this Irish team currently stands.
Writing in The Times, Shane Horgan said that he could see Peter O'Mahony delaying his international retirement in order to play on that tour. He also named the two things Ireland will need to change ahead of the trip down to South Africa.
[O'Mahony] and Andy Farrell dragged them over the finish line. It felt like Ireland’s tank was empty but they got them there.
So he might retire but I wonder if burning in the back of his mind is that summer tour to South Africa — given the history between those two teams and the fact they are world champions. Ireland will be desperate to win that series, and that might be just enough to tempt him.
Going there, Ireland will need to do two things. The existing gameplan needs better execution — it wasn’t there against England and wasn’t there against Scotland yesterday, not that it mattered.
Farrell and his team will be aware of the need to evolve the game plan while continuing to deliver success. It is a remarkable situation for Ireland that there is team development while they keep winning games and championships.
Ireland got the best of South Africa during their World Cup pool clash last year, although the Springboks will be viewed as big favourites to win the series on home soil.
As Horgan points out, Andy Farrell will want to evolve the team's style of rugby ahead of that trip in order to put themselves in the best possible position to take on the world champions.
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