"Follow-ups, nothing more," was Geordan Murphy's summation of his two tries for Ireland at Lansdowne Road yesterday. Not that he was complaining. Far from it. "I'd happily take them anytime, even if they weren't contenders for try of the season."

The Leicester wing was slightly bemused by the events of the afternoon.

"It was really, really strange. I haven't played in a game like that for quite a while. I found it hard to get into the game. It was tough because it was really cold, actually freezing, and although I did a fair bit of running, I wasn't really required most of the time.

"We seemed to be scoring two phases earlier than we should. Everything seemed to come to us on a plate. I looked at the clock a couple of times: at one stage it was 45 points and still 20 minutes to go. I thought 'this can't be right'.

"I think I was due a bit of luck and certainly a few things went my way. I must say that I suspected it might be a good day when he (Craig Morgan) kicked the ball off my knee and it bounced into touch at an acute angle just before the line.

"The forwards had a fantastic game, they gave us an armchair ride. England will obviously be a different prospect. Wales didn't play well, and although we put them away well, we have got to keep a perspective on the challenges ahead which will be much tougher."

Peter Stringer had another superb game at scrumhalf, including one marvellous takedown of Welsh colossus Scott Quinnell.

"I don't know how I managed it, whether I brought him down with my foot or hand. I suspect he just fell over me," he laughed.

"The possession we had probably did surprise us a small bit. We had worked hard all week and that paid off. We manufactured some good scores, providing good entertainment.

"It was frustrating in that we did get into their 22 but didn't finish off all the chances that were created. But that gives us something to work on when we meet up again," he said.

Mick Galwey praised the side as one of the better Irish teams with which he has ever played.

"I think this side has a lot of potential. I think the difference between this side and a lot of other Irish sides is that there is a lot of strength in depth there. Before we relied on individual players to win games for us. Now the team has no weak links.

"Today we were without three (British and Irish) Lions in Keith Wood, Eric Miller and Malcolm O'Kelly, and Shane Horgan was also missing, but players came in and did a great job.

"For Ireland this was a special day and also for a lot of people out there. The Claw (Peter Clohessy) got his 50th cap and Paul O'Connell got his first, so that was something."

Clohessy, who led out the team with his young son Luke, and who Galwey has regularly praised in public, said that this would definitely be his last season playing international rugby.

"This was a special day for me," said Clohessy. "I've never beaten Wales in Lansdowne Road. No, I'm definitely going out after this one.This was a special day."

Denis Hickie, referring to the new management set-up behind the team, observed that the players know all the faces quite well already and that there was a familiarity.

"Eddie O'Sullivan has been with us for a couple of years. Most of the guys have been with us for a while so we are actually used to them," said the scorer of Ireland's fourth try yesterday.