Joe Schimdt's side received plenty of criticism in the run up top their opening World Cup match, but showed that they weren't letting that affect them as they brushed aside the challenge of Canada.
The majority of the damage was done in the first half as Ireland ran up four tries, wrapping up a bonus point before the break and showing a degree of ruthlessness in the way they went about their business.
Sean O'Brien got Ireland's first try, while Iain Henderson continued his good run of form and also scored on his World Cup debut. The try of the half and possibly the match was perhaps Jonny Sexton's sprint for the corner, showing an incredible turn of pace and getting the crowd up on their feet as he touched it down after a thrilling passage of play.
©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Dave Kearney continued the scoring before the half, getting in to secure Ireland's bonus point from the game, but the second half saw a few changes and a yellow card for Paul O'Connell, which slowed Ireland's progress somewhat and left them with a bit of defending to do as Canada looked to register a score and avoid posting a bagel.
©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Although Canada did sneak a try after blocking a kick in midfield and running it home, Ireland crossed the line for a fifth time through Sean Cronin and opened the floodgates again.
The sharpness and fitness of Schmidt's side showed through as the game wore on, and a fantastic run and smart offload from Keith Earls left Rob Kearney with an easy run in to touch the ball down and get Ireland's sixth of the game. Jared Payne rounded off the scoring with a seventh try before the game was over, capping off an impressive performance.
Speaking after the match, Joe Schmidt wasn't about to get too carried away with the score, but did highlight that Canada were a good side in his view, and that they had forced Ireland back for long stretches of the game.
That would suggest that he'll be viewing the positives from Ireland's performance today, one of which was the free-scoring nature of the rugby that was played by his team.
Schmidt's system didn't produce too many tries during the Six Nations, and many of them came off of pre-worked set pieces, something that this side have shown they are capable of doing. Today however, there were line breaks, quick handling and some good passing to create space, a lot of which has been absent in recent performances.
©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
When asked about the fact that Ireland have been labelled everything from underachievers to possible tournament favourites, Schmidt wasn't giving too much away about the mood in the camp, saying "we've got five points, we'd label them five good points to get, now we're just looking ahead to Romania".
Perhaps the best piece of news from the game, aside from the win and the bonus point, will be that Cian Healy was able to come on and even influenced proceedings right towards the end of the match. Although his try was not given by the TMO, having been out of action for several months, it will ease a few worries both for the player himself and the coaching staff that he was back on the pitch today.
©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Ireland aren't going to score seven tries in every game, but the level of performance across the board will surely be encouraging for Schimdt, who would also have been pleased that they shored up their defence a little. There were periods in the first half where Canada looked as though they might get over the line, but some good tackling, organisation and resilience from the back line showed that the Boys in Green had no intentions of giving up anything easily.
Schmidt would surely have been happier if they'd been able to shut out Canada entirely, and while he was complimentary to the opposition in his post-match comments, this really doesn't represent a true test of Ireland's level.
However, with the important first win under their belt, secured in some style too, Ireland will be looking ahead to the game against Romania next week to further work on some of the smaller details which the coach prizes above all else. It will also provide further opportunity to give players like Healy a bit more time on the pitch so that they're in top form for the crucial match against France, a game which could decided the entire tournament for Ireland.
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