Six Nations 2022: Hardy Ireland come through Twickenham character test

You could quite easily take Johnny Sexton's post-match quotes a step further.

It's not that Ireland would or could have lost their absolutely epic contest against England had it been played two years ago — they did lose that kind of game two years ago.

It wasn't against England and in fairness it was more like two-and-a-half years ago, but if an Irish fan closed their eyes at the moment Marcus Smith kicked his fifth penalty they could easily have found themselves transported some 6,000 miles to Shizuoka.

Ireland were heavy favourites going into their second 2019 World Cup group match. They started well, with 12 unanswered points seemingly putting them on course for a routine win.

However, Japan, buoyed by an atmosphere that only a very rare, heroic home performance can produce, chipped away. They won the battle up front and nibbled into the deficit with accurate place kicking.

By the hour mark the hosts had the momentum and the win was there for them. The crowd sensed it, and added to it.

Ireland were by that point destined for failure. Doomed to compound their own misery with a series of basic errors only ever produced with such regularity when a team has permanently and fatally lost its composure.

Amid the febrile atmosphere at Twickenham made possible by the brilliance of England's 14 men, Ireland found themselves faced with an almost identical situation on Saturday.

But this time they found a way to win.

There was no magical tactical switch that saw them wrestle back control, only composure and a steadfast belief that they had the tools to weather the storm and finish the game on their terms.

That was always a distinct possibility against a depleted side out on their feet after such an effort, but it still required Ireland to