Dr Olivia Hurley, who's been described as "Joe Schmidt's secret weapon", watched the Ireland Vs New Zealand game last Saturday with more interest than most. A qualified sports psychologist, Dr Hurley has had several Ireland players and Coaches dust off their pencil cases and take one of her lecture classes. What does it come down to?
It's all about fostering skills and habits that the players will revert to in times of stress. Treat every training session and game as equally important, Dr Hurley says, as you're less likely to panic when it comes to the high-stakes encounters.
"We work with the athletes to help them to establish routines and establish ways of, I suppose, approaching their training. So, that when it comes to big games, they approach it in the same way they do every training session and every game…If you want them to be able to perform in a big, high-intensity environment…you have to perform excellently every day. Because when you're under pressure, you revert to habit."
As for the future? Dr Hurley thinks we haven't peaked just yet.
"There are bigger challenges ahead…they will have bigger goals."
Listen back to the full interview on The Ray D'Arcy Show here.