Ronan O'Gara: Stockdale’s mulligan, Scotland’s defence and those fast-twitch fibres…

For Andy Farrell and his opposite number Wayne Pivac, these are games to build a squad and put their stamp on it.

A lot of the focus at the Aviva Stadium this evening will be on James Lowe but it’s also an opportunity for out-half Billy Burns, pictured alongside Johnny Sexton during Ireland's Captain's Run. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

How quickly the ground beneath you can shift. Two years ago next week, Steve Hansen was stirring it up by wondering how Ireland would handle being the No 1 ranked side in the world.

At this moment in time, Andy Farrell’s Ireland are third, at best, among Europe’s Six Nations – tonight’s opponents Wales might and Scotland, who finished on the same points, certainly would challenge that fact.