Champions show their enduring class in the second half after making a sloppy start to Six Nations defence

In a tournament with no room for a warm-up, where you just hop into the blocks and hope to explode out of them, home games are a mixed blessing. If the getaway isn’t clean then the boost to the away side can be turbo stuff. Which poses a dilemma: how do you catch up without playing catch up?

Ireland’s one word answer might be perseverance. If pushed to expand they might add that when you can sense your opponents losing the plot you have to help them along with that one. Patience is actually better than going bald-headed for the big prize. Nudge the ball in behind them and squeeze some more.