Andrew Conway knows as well as anyone that the moment Ireland start to believe they have it cracked, they're going to be in trouble.

The Munster wing won eight of his 27 caps in 2019, a year Ireland started off as world number one and ended with crushing defeats to Japan and New Zealand at the World Cup.

Prior to that, the Six Nations brought little in the way of joy for Joe Schmidt’s side, losing to England and Wales.

The team meet Wales in the opening match of this year’s renewal on Saturday week and are buoyed by impressive autumn victories over New Zealand, Argentina and Japan, a match in which the 30-year-old grabbed himself a hat-trick.

Fans and pundits alike have been enamoured by Andy Farrell’s side’s new-found style and the Dubliner insists they are a work in progress.

Conway in action against New Zealand last November

"We can’t be trying to do the exact same thing we did in November in the Six Nations or we are going to find out that teams have reviewed us, looked at us and it’s not going to be good enough," Conway told RTÉ Sport.

"As satisfying as a couple of months ago was, it was a couple of months ago.

"Every team has a way they are trying to play and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

"Our job is to make it work more often than not so whenever things come together, of course there is satisfaction there but it’s a fickle sport.

"We are coming off the back of some good victories but I can tell you, with a performance that isn’t up to media standard or a loss in a tough close Six Nations match, you can be full sure that there will be a few critics again.

"So we certainly won’t get ahead of ourselves and think that we’ve cultivated this specific identify or amazing culture

"We understand that it’s a week-to-week game, day-to-day, in terms of how you are prepping and processing.

"You take each week as it comes. You have one eye on the big picture but if you take your eye off the little details [you’ll be in trouble]."

Robert Baloucoune (left) and Michael Lowry have been in fine form for Ulster

Conway is one of the form players in Irish rugby at the moment but faces competition for a starting shirt from the likes of Robert Baloucoune, Keith Earls and Jordan Larmour, while the uncapped Michael Lowry from Ulster and Mack Hansen from Connacht are also in the squad and eager to make an impression on Farrell.

"Any squad you are in there’s going to be five or six other guys in the back three that have different styles," the Dubliner, who has 13 international tries, says when asked if he's tempted to adapt his game to emulate some of the newcomers.

"Some might be similar, some might be completely different. You’ve got to own your own style and grow it.

"You can only learn from the likes of Michael Lowry and Robert Baloucoune, who are playing unbelievable rugby.

"They’ve been in camp before so I’ve seen what they can do firsthand on the training pitch.

"They are playing really strong rugby for Ulster at the moment so it’s exciting to go in and have a couple of fresh-ish faces.

"They’ve been there before but they probably don’t have that same level of experience as some other guys.

"They bring in that bit of freshness, they are exciting players so I am buzzing to work with them."

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