1. Ireland’s talent runs deep

There wasn’t so much a collective gasp in the Aviva when Johnny Sexton was withdrawn early in the second half, but there was a palpable concern that things could get hairy for the last half an hour. And then they didn’t.

For the second time in as many weeks, Ross Byrne more than capably steered Ireland towards a bonus-point score, showing up in every moment asked of him.

His fellow half-back replacement Craig Casey was equally impressive; a clever, alleviating box-kick down the right-hand touchline an illustration of his smarts.

Ireland didn’t just see out the second half, they won it. And they won it in large part with a half-back pairing boasting less than 25 caps between them, neither of whom will face much stiffer tests of their credentials at a World Cup or otherwise. This was the test, and Byrne and Casey passed it.

So too did the front rows — both starters and replacements — who basically answered the question as to what might happen Ireland’s scrum without Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan.

Tom O’Toole, the least tested among the replacements, came on and started barreling lads in the loose, as did Dave Kilcoyne who is again a serious force to be reckoned with.

Stuart McCloskey, a man who some believed incapable of performing at test level as recently as last October, was a colossus again and could conceivably keep a fit Robbie Henshaw out of the Ireland team on current form.

Ireland’s eternal quest for ‘depth’ is not over, but the idea that they’re a house of cards built upon four or five indispensable players might be.

- Gavan Casey

2. Doris’s Tour de Force

This performance doesn’t come as any great surprise, but Caelan Doris was phenomenal in Ireland’s number eight jersey. He is a complete rugby player with seemingly no major weaknesses in his game. He delivers the big moments like his stunning offload for Garry Ringrose’s bonus-point try. The power Doris managed to generate on what was a skip pass, even with Gael Fickou hanging off him, was astounding.

Doris ran through the mammoth French prop Uini Atonio just before Hugo Keenan’s classy try in the first half too. He was invariably centrally involved in Ireland’s best passages. A clean breakdown turnover to halt French momentum in the second half also stands out. Doris is a big-game and big-moments player.

But he does everything else too. He carries into traffic, he passes smoothly, he lifts and jumps in lineouts, he mauls well, he hits attacking breakdowns and competes for the ball with accuracy when Ireland are defending. He is powerful in the carry but has excellent footwork before contact too. He takes the ball to the line in two hands and plays excellent passes under pressure from defenders.

Tying everything together is Doris’s decision-making. He’s only 24 but Doris plays like a veteran in terms of his rugby intelligence. He observes the game intently and then picks the most straightforward option. Sometimes it’s flash, sometimes it’s not. His decisions are usually very effective.

Doris still has lots of Test rugby ahead of him. Ups and downs will come and go. Hopefully, he’ll be able to steer clear of bad injuries because he’s clearly on track to become one of Ireland’s best-ever players.

- Murray Kinsella

3. Farrell’s personal touch

Andy Farrell has clearly created something special with this squad, and the attention he has placed on ensuring the group is close-knit is no doubt a major factor in the performances being delivered on the pitch.

The head coach puts a lot of work into building an environment where his players enjoy Ireland camp, feel they can be themselves and that their efforts are appreciated.

On Saturday, James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Dave Kilcoyne led the team out to mark their 50th caps – a milestone Farrell now highlights with a small presentation during the week in camp. Those little touches mean a lot to the players.

As does the trust Farrell displays in them. When James Lowe needed to return to New Zealand for personal reasons last month, the Ireland boss gave him the green light and had no qualms about playing him against Wales last weekend – the wingers’s first outing since St Stephen’s Day.

That empathy was there again this week when Conor Murray’s father was hospitalised, the Munster scrum-half given the time he needed at home and backed to deliver against France. On both occasions, the player in question stepped up with a big performance.

It all feeds into a camp where players feel totally comfortable and know they have the support of the coaches.

It’s one of the strongest characteristics of this squad and Farrell touched on it himself in his post match-interview, pointing to how hard the players are willing to work for each other.

It all comes from the top down.

- Ciarán Kennedy