Just two games have been played in this year's Guinness Six Nations, and Ireland are being feted as Grand Slam champions-elect in some quarters given the nature of their opening wins against France and Italy.
There's plenty of work to do of course but Andy Farrell's men look like they've emerged from a bitterly disappointing World Cup exit in good nick.
Some new faces and a fresh start seems to have invigorated the squad, with Sunday's 36-0 thumping of Italy further evidence of a side in rude health.
Bernard Jackman, speaking on RTÉ's Against The Head, believes some teams are beaten before the match even starts such is the aura around the Irish right now.
Farrell's charges have conceded only 12 tries in the last 12 Six Nations games.
"I met one of the Italian coaches yesterday morning for a coffee," said Jackman. "He used to work with Mike Prendergast at Racing and was with the French national team.
"He said when they scouted Ireland there was no obvious weaknesses they could go after. I think when you create that aura, which Ireland have because of their consistency and because of their play, it can nearly help you win games in itself.
"I'd compare it to the Italian Under-20s the other night in Cork, they are used to beating Ireland and so beating Ireland at Under-20s level isn't beyond them, whereas realistically for this senior team it's very difficult to see how they can win against Ireland at the moment because of Ireland's play and consistency and the fact they've never done it before.
"That's a nice place to be in when teams are coming here actually struggling to see clues about how they can beat you."
One of the major positives of the last couple of weeks has been the displays of Jack Crowley, who has filled the void left by Johnny Sexton so impressively.
"He's a natural playmaker," Jackman added.
"I think he's found his way. Everyone understands that if you're inside or outside Jack Crowley he's going to do everything in his power to put you into space.
"We know he's got loads of character. I think he's had a dream start to his career in the Six Nations as our first-choice 10."
"He said when he scouted Ireland, there were no obvious weaknesses that they could go after"@bernardjackman on the feedback he received about Andy Farrell's Ireland from a chat with one of Italy's coaches #IREvITA #SixNations #AgainstTheHead pic.twitter.com/6suyu3AOsb
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 12, 2024
