LEFT OUT THERE for 80 minutes by Joe Schmidt, with back-up hooker Niall Scannell instead coming on in the back row, Ireland captain Rory Best didn’t stop working until the very final whistle.

As Ireland closed out their convincing 27-3 bonus-point win over Scotland, the 37-year-old skipper was still making tackles in the final passage.

Best was in fine form as Ireland's pack tore Scotland to shreds. Craig Mercer / INPHO Craig Mercer / INPHO / INPHO

This effort came on top of contributing to a lineout that won 12 out of 12 on his throw, a scrum that won 10 out of 10 on Ireland’s put-in, and a maul that dominated the Scots, with Best’s first-half try coming at the back of a particularly powerful effort.

Add in his five carries, eight passes, one offload, and nine tackles in total, as well as the usual mountain of ruck work he gets through, and this was an impressive showing from the Ulsterman.

That’s not to overlook the fact that Best is also Ireland’s captain, the tone-setter behind closed doors and a leader who Tadhg Furlong said this team would “go anywhere and back for.”

Having had an excellent game against Wales in Ireland’s final warm-up fixture ahead of the World Cup, it means Best is getting into a rich vein of form just at the start of his final campaign with Ireland – retirement waiting on the other side of this visit to Japan.

Best looked emotional during Ireland’s Call before kick-off, breaking into a smile and taking a deep breath. From there, he barely let up.

“It was a good start for us,” said the Ireland captain afterward. “I think when you start the tournament against a team like Scotland, you have a lot of nerves, you know you have to play well, you know you have to start well. 

“From the forwards’ point of view, for us to get a couple of tries in the tight is pleasing but we know it’s just the start and we need to get better. It’s great to have played in four World Cups now but ultimately, from a personal point of view, that means nothing.

“That goes to the side. It’s about making sure that we get better as a collective as we go along.”

That’s the way with Best – the team first. His selflessness appears to be genuine and his team-mates certainly believe it to be so.

Best scored Ireland's second try. Craig Mercer / INPHO Craig Mercer / INPHO / INPHO

Best’s mindset is so often reflected in how he plays. He’s not dynamic or explosive or skillful enough to be a superstar breaking down doors and offloading to create tries. His work is simple but makes life easier for those around him.

See, for example, his latch onto Furlong for the tighthead’s try in Yokohama, that helping hand to seal the deal.

This four-try win against the Scots must have been particularly pleasing for the Ireland captain given the levels of criticism the team has faced this year, but Best believes the opinion of Joe Schmidt is all that really matters.

“There were questions externally and it’s hard to get away from it,” said the hooker. “You talk about being in the bubble but probably the biggest frustration within was that we knew we had a lot more to give. We just weren’t getting it for whatever reason.

“We were happy with our preparation in a lot of those games and we just didn’t execute. As players, maybe we didn’t put enough pressure on ourselves to execute the plan we were given. Sometimes you need to draw a line in the sand.

“We were more disappointed than anyone in Ireland or the world with that England performance. We needed to be a lot better than that, and we are a lot better than that. Our potential is a lot better than that.

“It was pleasing the way we played in the next two Wales games and into today. There’s always going to be critics but I think the constructive criticism we get from Joe and the rest of the coaches is probably tougher than anything. That’s how you learn and get better.”