Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was pleased with the character shown by his players after the disappointment of defeat in Scotland last week.
"We showed we can start well and that gives a platform to build on," he told RTÉ Sport after the 63-10 win over Italy.
"The players felt that (they needed to make a statement). We know how good they can be.
"It was probably a bit of confidence to go out and do it. There were a few guys making Six Nations and Test debuts so it's good for them to get those performances under the belt."
He added: "There's no margin for error at all. It's an open championship. Wales and England will be tight. It's an open championship and people will be excited."
Schmidt was handed a set-back this morning when captain Rory Best failed to recover sufficiently from a stomach bug and Munster’s uncapped Niall Scannell had to step up.
“It's great for Niall Scannell," said the New Zealander. "He scrummed really well, he threw well. The guys supported him really well.”
Joe Schmidt discusses today's win, injury concerns and upcoming fixtures.#rterugby https://t.co/sFJY0q8gro pic.twitter.com/y5ykpB46Qh
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 11, 2017
Centre Robbie Henshaw and full-back Rob Kearney both suffered knocks late on but Schmidt played down fears for their availability for the home tie against France on 25 February.
He said: “Rob Kearney got a bruise on his bicep, Rob Henshaw bruise on his quad, couple of days should see them right.”
CJ Stander said a dramatic improvement in Irish attitude saw Ireland bounce back from last weekend's defeat to Scotland.
Stander became the first Irish forward to claim a hat-trick in the tournament and says the change in attitude was the difference between the two contrasting outings to date.
“We were disappointed from last week. We didn’t start the game the right way...we were sluggish,” he told RTÉ Sport.
“We came out today and said we needed to work hard for each other and we came out and played our game.
“It’s easy when everyone plays their part.”
Stander and Gilroy will claim the headlines with their respective hat-tricks – the first time it has occurred in the competition since 1914 – but the Munster flanker paid tribute to the dominant scrum and also Paddy Jackson.
The Ulster man continues to deputise for the injured Johnny Sexton, but put in another assured performance and was nine from nine off the kicking tee.
“In fairness to our back line and to Paddy [Jackson] he controlled the game. The forward kept scrumming well. It made a big difference.”
