Ireland re-mounted the horse with a nervy but hard-fought win over Scotland in Edinburgh this afternoon.
There was an air of foreboding after the jolt of last week's defeat and Murrayfield has often proven a tricky venue for Irish teams, even with less promising Scottish outfits lined up opposite.
But first half tries from Conor Murray and Jacob Stockdale, and another midway through the second half from Keith Earls, created after a wonderful break from Joey Carbery, saw Ireland to victory.
Player ratings are a thankless job but someone's got to do it. Here are our ratings after Ireland's 22-13 win.
15 Rob Kearney 8/10
Lively attacking display and he, unsurprisingly, looked far more assured in both attack and defence than Robbie Henshaw, who remains a novice in the position at international level.
One annoyance was his poor offload attempt early in the second half after being put through by Joey Carbery. It was a gilt-edged opportunity but the fullback made a mess.
14 Keith Earls 8.5/10
Singled out for special treatment last weekend and then singled out for particular criticism after the game, the experienced Earls reacted terrifically this afternoon.
Carbery will rightly take all the plaudits for the third try but Earls worked hard to make sure he was there to convert.
Did terrifically to haul down Finn Russell metres from the line for the Scottish try, albeit his efforts were to no avail in the end.
13 Chris Farrell 7/10
Less eye-catching than his partner in the centre but a reasonable display from Farrell whose hard running was important in the creation of Ireland's first try.
12 Bundee Aki 7/10
His passing was slightly better this week and was an impressive bulwark in defence. Doesn't quite have the thrust and imagination of Ringrose in the midfield.
11 Jacob Stockdale 8.5/10
May have showcased some of his defensive 'imperfections' last week but his familiar and much admired attacking prowess was back on full display this weekend.
Kicked well into space for the opening try - albeit it was Tommy Seymour who was the real creator in the end - and then showed a frightening burst of pace in scoring Ireland's second some minutes later.
10 Jonathan Sexton 7.5/10
Withdrawn after an uncomfortable 23 minutes in which he nonetheless showed his worth - and tenacity - in open play. Was a central figure in both of Ireland's first half tries, firing lovely passes to Stockdale in both instances. He also executed a notable interception early doors but hadn't the momentum to steam clear of the defence.
Outside of that, it was a difficult experience as injury left him patently unable to kick and Scotland's ferocious defence making life difficult. Made way for Carbery just after the quarter-mark.
Was revealed afterwards that he had failed a HIA (head injury assessment).
9 Conor Murray 7/10
Capitalised on Tommy Seymour's panicky pass inside to Sean Maitland to jog over for a try. Inexplicably failed to place the ball down under the posts which ultimately cost Ireland two points with an injured Sexton shanking it wide of the near post.
His box-kicking has not been the formidable weapon in this Six Nations as it was in 2018 and his passing was a bit loose at the back of the scrum again.
1 Cian Healy 7.5/10
He apparently cleaned his shed out at home as part of therapeutic response to last weekend's defeat.
And put in a solid effort from the loosehead who made more yards in the time he was on the pitch than his more feted colleague Furlong on the other side of the front row.
2 Rory Best 8/10
Flawless afternoon on the lineouts from the grizzled old veteran. However, his most important intervention arrived in the first half when he reacted to the dot the ball down in goal after the ball bounced off the spongy corner flag.
3 Tadhg Furlong 7.5/10
Furlong made a large number of carries for very little yardage gain overall.
The home crowd found their voice when Stuart McInally stripped him of the ball in the tackle in the lead-up to half-time. A rare sight.
Still, the Irish scrum held the upper hand throughout and Furlong remains the one key performer in that department.
4 James Ryan 8.5/10
Must have experienced a disorientating few days what with this whole losing business, to which he is rather unaccustomed.
But he reacted well to that jolt. Superb display from Ryan who was surely on the shortlist for Man of the Match. All action performance in which he carried often and registered zero missed tackles.
Did however contribute to Ireland's unusually high number in the turnover concession column.
5 Quinn Roux 7.5/10
Overshadowed by his second row partner in open field, carrying less and making less tackles across the course of the game.
But as a lineout caller, Roux delivered a flawless afternoon as Ireland took 11 from 11 in department. There were concerns for Ireland in this area given Toner's importance but Roux slotted in well.
6 Peter O'Mahony 8/10
Was lucky to avoid conceding a penalty for the hit on Stuart Hogg which soon after led to Scotland's dangerous fullback traipsing off.
Otherwise was his usual narky, confrontational self throughout the 80 minutes, emerging as one of Ireland's strongest performers.
7 Sean O'Brien 8.5/10
His first Six Nations start since England's charge at a second consecutive Grand Slam was upended on the final weekend in March 2017.
A very welcome sight to see that scrum cap barreling into the Scottish defence. Alongside Ryan, he made more carries than any other Irish player, making more metres than any other member of the pack. Similarly effective in defence, his tackle count was also notably high. Must have run close to Man of the Match.
8 Jack Conan 8/10
Made a whopping 14 tackles in the first half and carried well when in possession, although he got his hands of less ball than either of his two back row partners.
Replacements:
22 Joey Carbery for Sexton (23 mins) 8.5/10
Ready to be written off as an unreliable flake by the online hordes not long after his introduction. Accusing fingers were pointed after his pass inside was intercepted by Finn Russell for Scotland's first try.
However, for all those early wobbles, he emerges from the afternoon heavily in credit. Even before his marvellous break teed up Keith Earls try, his passing consistently opened up opportunities, a couple of which were butchered, notably by Kearney early in the second half.
Landed pivotal kicks in the final quarter to see Ireland home.
Dave Kilcoyne for Healy (56 mins) 8/10
Highly impressive in the loose for the period he was on the field.
Josh van der Flier for O'Brien (64 mins) 7/10
Relegated to the bench despite a reasonable display last weekend. A returning Sean O'Brien was always likely to leapfrog him in the pecking order, especially after today.
Andrew Porter for Furlong (67 mins) 7/10
Eye-catching for his surpisingly floppy hair, Porter made three tackles in his brief time on the pitch and held up well in the remaining scrums.
Ultan Dillane for Roux (67 mins) 7/10
Replaced his Connacht colleague and maintained Ireland's sound record at the lineout in the time he was on the pitch.
Sean Cronin for Best (72 mins) 7.5/10
Was tested late on but came through, finding his man from a lineout inside the Irish 22. It was the final scare for the visitors who saw out the remaining minutes with little panic after what was an anxious afternoon.
Jordan Larmour for Stockdale (72 mins) 6.5/10
Wasn't on long enough to make a substantial impression.
John Cooney for Murray (76 mins) 7/10
Another three minute cameo, this one unadorned by a try.
