There were many positives to be taken from the World Cup opener against Scotland, but chief among them was Ireland's ability to play unstructured rugby, according to Cian Healy.
James Ryan, Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Conway all crossed as Ireland blitzed the Scots 27-3 for a bonus-point victory in Yokohama.
The victory was built on squeezing their opponents up front before running them ragged out wide to provide the perfect start to Pool A.
Healy was part of that dominant scrum and was particularly pleased what his team did on the limited ball that, insisting there is much more to come from Joe Schmidt's team.
"We defended for a lot yesterday, so we didn’t get an opportunity to put too many set plays together," he told RTÉ Sport’s Michael Corcoran.
"We got through what we wanted to get through without having to go too far into the playbook. We have a decent sheet of set plays to go through so we must wait for the right opportunity.
"It's exciting that we have a lot there ready to go. We showed we can play a bit off the cuff ball as well, playing what is in front of us rather than just set plays."
There was positive news on the injury front for Ireland ahead of next Saturday’s clash with Japan, who also opened their World Cup account with a win after seeing off the challenge of Russia.
A big occasion deserves a big game and we will be putting everything into this week's preparation and hopefully put on a show
Is the Leinster prop looking forward to facing the hosts at what will be a raucous Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka?
"Absolutely. It makes for a big occasion. A big occasion deserves a big game and we will be putting everything into this week’s preparation and hopefully put on a show."
Whether Schmidt decides to tinker with a few changes in personnel, mindful of a potential quarter-final showdown with South Africa, remains to be seen, but Healy is happy to play every minute if called upon.
However, after 92 caps in 10 years at the top, the 31-year-old did concede he will take a slightly more phlegmatic approach now should rotation come his way.
"I'm understanding," he responds when asked if he is more reasonable about rotation these days, "I want to be involved in as many Test matches as possible.
"Whether it's starting or being on the bench I want to be involved and play games.
"But if the lads see that as the best option for us going forward, then now I'd probably have a more reasonable head to understand that decision."
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