Ireland 36-0 Italy: Dan Sheehan scores two tries as hosts secure easy bonus-point victory in six-try rout - with Andy Farrell's side remaining on track for another Six Nations Grand Slam

Ireland follow up their opening day win over France with a thumping of ItalyFly-half Jack Crowley claimed his first senior try as Ireland secured a bonus pointIreland face Wales next in their pursuit of back-to-back Grand Slams

The only late curveball on Sunday was when we informed that the young fella who sang on the Late Late Toy Show would be repeating the trick in front of a packed house at the Aviva.

In fairness to Stevie Mulrooney (only eight years old), he nailed it.

That was the major surprise. Otherwise, this encounter followed the usual script. This win was as routine as they come. Punters were pouring out of the exits long before the final whistle. Because the result – and the bonus point – had been wrapped up long before the end.

Farrell didn’t learn a lot from this canter against Italy. Well, in the short-term anyway.

There has been a sense of here and now about Ireland in this championship.

Ireland’s Robbie Henshaw scores Ireland’s fifth in a rampant and dominant win over Italy

Ireland blasted the Italian defence away with six tries, while the Azzurri failed to respond

Ireland wing James Lowe failed to score, but otherwise Andy Farrell’s side attacked with aplomb

Keep calm and carry on was Andy Farrell’s mantra after the World Cup. The Ireland boss surveyed the wreckage of the All Blacks defeat in Paris and thought that a few tweaks were needed, not a complete overhaul.

Calls for a complete rebuild in the wake of the latest quarter-final loss at the global showpiece fell on deaf ears in Camp Farrell.

The head coach has been on record several times stating that he doesn’t believe in World Cup cycles. He will get Ireland primed for the 2027 edition in Australia at his own pace.

A Grand Slam is the sole target at the moment. Surveying the rest of the opposition in the last few days, another clean sweep is well within their grasp.

More silverware, stay the course and focus on evolution, not revolution. That’s where Farrell’s head is at.

Sunday felt a bit different, however. There was a nod to the future about this matchday squad. Yes, this fixture usually allows a coach a bit of room to manoeuvre when it comes to drilling down into the depth chart.

For all of Italy’s recent improvements, there was an air of inevitability about this game early doors. We’ve seen this play out many times in the past. There’s a reason why Ireland have lost just one Six Nations to the Azzurri in the 24 editions of this tournament. Ireland have been stockpiling titles in the past decades. Italy have 18 Wooden Spoons.

Italy full-back Ange Capuozzo could not rally his side’s attack as they failed to score at all

Italy put in a physical defensive display but could not stem the Irish attacking waves

But Farrell has always been a cautious selector. He prefers little tweaks rather than mass changes to his team sheets.

Farrell making six personnel changes in the Six Nations is unprecedented. This felt like a nod to the future.

We had a new captain in Caelan Doris. The youthful Munster half backs, who had just 23 international caps between them coming into this game.

Calvin Nash, making just his third Ireland appearance, was on the right wing.

Joe McCarthy already ready looks like a Test Match Animal, but this was only his seventh Test cap. Ryan Baird was on the blindside flank. Another greenhorn at this level essentially.

Doris (25), Dan Sheehan (25) and Hugo Keenan (27) are way further down the track in terms of development. Time is on their side, though.

The majority of Sunday’s team should be pitching up in Oz in four years’ time. Same goes for Andrew Porter, James Ryan and Robbie Henshaw, too.

Fittingly, it was the up and comers which stole the show during a fractious first half.

Casey and Crowley are going to have sterner examinations in the years ahead. Both excelled in Ireland’s high-tempo approach. It’s been the same story at Munster, where both have consolidated their positions as frontliners in Graham Rowntree’s side.

Casey has edged Conor Murray – an Ireland centurion and Test Lions – onto the bench while Crowley has become such a dominant figure at Thomond Park that Ben Healy and Joey Carbery have decided to seek pastures new in recent times.

It could become the same story with Ireland soon as well. Jamison Gibson-Park will have something to say about that. The livewire Leinster scrum-half remains the beating heart of this Irish team. When Gibson-Park is in his zone, he makes this team tick.

The New Zealand-born half-back has been picking up a few niggles of late, however. At 31, whether he can keep going until the next World Cup remains to be seen.

You can see why Farrell has invested so much into Casey. The Munster man has been in this setup for a long time. In terms of energy, speed of service and sheer speed of thought, the Limerick native is the nearest thing on this island to Gibson-Park.

And Casey held up his side of the bargain yesterday. For the most part, he kept things flowing nicely.

His fellow half-back didn’t have a bad game either. Crowley is making this international lark look pretty easy.

He kicked on from a confident display in Marseilles with another promising performance here. Highlights included a lovely no-look pass which sent Keenan scything through the Italian defence. A few moments later, the Corkman’s brilliant offload set off the chain reaction which led to Sheehan crossing for his first try in the corner.

When Keenan hobbled off with 20 minutes remaining, Crowley switched back to full-back and looked assured there as well.

Ireland’s win at the Aviva Stadium was their seventeenth in a row, and ensures their pursuit of back-to-back Grand Slams remains possible

Is his game perfect? Absolutely not. He’s not going to become Sexton 2.0 overnight but all the indications are that Crowley has the ability and, crucially, the confidence, to reach those levels in the campaigns down the track.

McCarthy, meanwhile, was doing his usual wrecking ball stuff around the park. Twice, Paulo Garbisi got the ball and was quickly engulfed by the Leinster lock milliseconds later. It wasn’t a great day for the Italy fly-half who lived off scraps and was hunted own by McCarthy all afternoon.

This Irish team simply had too firepower for this limited Italian outfit. A point best exemplified by the performance of Baird on the blindside.

The Leinster flanker has been reborn under Jacques Nienaber’s watch this season. One trademark 50-metre gallop in the first half illustrated his unique fast-twitch power. But Baird has yet to hit his ceiling. He will have to bide his time, of course. Peter O’Mahony’s presence as captain is just one hurdle at the moment. Baird’s time will come. There are few forwards in the country who can do what he does.

You could say the same about James Lowe. A unique mix of speed, power and dynamism on the left wing. His cannon of a left boot is handy weapon too.He played a big role in the good vibes on Sunday. There will be more good days on the horizon this crew stick together, clearly.