Andy Farrell has found his first choice forwards pack, but who is next man up?

We can park the out-half succession plan for now, because there's very little we can say that hasn't already been said.

To skim over it briefly, Johnny Sexton is comfortably the best out-half in the country, but he's 36-years-old and will be 38 by the time the next World Cup rolls around.

There's a long list of potential suitors who could challenge him either now or take over the job in the future, some of whom have had their progress stalled with injury, others have fluffed their auditions, and some are yet to even get their chance.

But out-half is just one area of the pitch to worry about, and if it comes to pass that a 38-year-old Sexton leads Ireland into a World Cup in 2023, protecting him will be key.

That's where the forwards come into play.

It's no coincidence that the Leinster skipper looked back to his best in the November wins against Japan and New Zealand, and Joey Carbery's performance against Argentina had been his strongest of a previously middling season.

In all three games Ireland's forwards dominated. They moved the ball consistently, and when they carried they generally had gainline success. Their defence was physical and hard, and they relentlessly competed for the ball on the ground.

And while their scrum wasn't necessarily dominant, it was perfectly functional, as Andrew Porter gained valuable experience back on the loosehead side.

Had it not been for a late injury to Jack Conan before the win against Los Pumas, Andy Farrell would have picked an identical front and back row for all three games, with James Ryan, Iain Henderson and Tadhg Beirne sharing the second row duties.

The expectation for the Six Nations is that barring injury the starting forward pack will continue as it was in November: Porter,