Sean O’Brien labelled Iain Henderson "a freak of a man" after the Ulster lock delivered a powerhouse performance in Ireland's 50-7 World Cup Pool D victory over Canada.
Henderson, playing his first World Cup game, was one of seven Irish try scorers as Joe Schmidt's men wrapped up the bonus point by half-time in an uncompromising performance.
Canada battled gamely and deservedly got on the scoresheet with a Daniel Van der Merwe try after the break but there was never any danger of a disastrous Irish slip-up.
O'Brien admitted Ireland still had work to do ahead of tougher tests to come in the tournament but highlighted Henderson for special praise.
"I thought Iain Henderson had a a very good game," he said. "I talked with him during the week about how much of a freak of a man he is! He’d a very good strong game today. His power and strength... it’s nice to see that we have guys like that."
Rory Best echoed O'Brien's praise for Henderson, adding: “He’s a special talent and it was good to see him come in and play so well and to play 80 minutes in what were very tricky conditions under the roof.
"I thought he took his try really well and he worked really hard. He’s learning from one of the best there’s ever been in Paulie, it’s good for him. Hopefully the sky’s the limit for him."
O'Brien has already turned his attention to Romania on Sunday week as Ireland look to build towards the crunch clashes with Italy and France.
"There are obviously things to work on," he admitted. "For 20 minutes of the second half we were a little bit ill-disciplined and let them back into the game a little bit. Overall you’d have to be pleased with it.
“It’s a good way to start the tournament. We put some bits and pieces together that we trained for during the week so we have to be pleased with that side of things.
“We’re expecting another very physical game against Romania. They’re very big. They’ll be well up for it and we’ll have to be on our game."
O'Brien also hailed the huge Irish support in Cardiff, with the Millennium Stadium a sea of green.
“I wasn't expecting that big of an Irish crowd at this game," he said. "You just look at people and they have that little bit of madness, that little bit of Irishness in them. It’s brilliant to see and it does mean a lot to us."
