Murray Kinsella Reports from McDonald Jones Stadium

SEAN JANSEN’S VERY first carry of the night was dominant.

His very first tackle for Ireland was explosive.

And the Connacht number eight never let up from that impactful start. This was about as good a debut as anyone could hope for.

His punchy second-half try and a player-of-the-match award were well-earned. 

27-year-old Jansen was Ireland’s joint-top ball carrier as he matched Jack Conan on 12, while his 13 tackles were behind only Nick Timoney’s 15. There was some slick handling and clever footwork in among the big hits too.

All of this despite being removed early from the contest after 61 barnstorming minutes. Ireland boss Andy Farrell said that was partly because Jansen picked up a ‘stinger’ in contact, but there’s no doubt Jansen has put his hand up for involvement against the All Blacks next weekend in his native New Zealand.

Ireland’s coaches have seen him as a possible high-impact bench option, so it will be intriguing to see if he makes the match-day 23 in Auckland.

Farrell was full of praise for Jansen after Ireland’s 36-20 win over Japan in Newcastle, highlighting it as a performance that showed how players should ‘attack’ an opportunity like the one Jansen was handed.

And Jansen’s team-mates felt something like this was coming.

“I would also say I’m not surprised,” said Ireland captain Tadhg Beirne.

“He’s been doing it in training. He’s fitted into what we’re trying to do unbelievably well over the last couple of weeks.

“He’s spoken really well within the group and fitted in unbelievably well, so the performance doesn’t come as a surprise.

“He’s been doing it all year for Connacht as well. So credit to him. He just did exactly what he’s been doing for the last 12 months. I’m delighted for him to get man of the match and delighted for him to have such a good first cap.”

Sean Jansen on the charge for Ireland. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

It was a night of milestones as Beirne captained Ireland for the first time from the start of a game, Rónan Kelleher got his 50th cap, and three other young men joined Jansen in making their debuts.

Bryn Ward, Billy Bohan and Sam Illo won their first caps off the bench, making it a happy night.

“It’s huge for the group. It’s great to see young lads get their first cap but it’s also great to see the performances they put in during the week,” said Beirne.

“It’s a special week for them and it was on us as a group to make sure it was a special night for them in terms of getting the win. It was a hard-fought win tonight, but we managed to do that for those four boys and for Ronan.”

Ireland notched a second bonus-point win from two games in the Nations Championship as they managed to pull clear of Japan in the end, yet it was a stop-start performance featuring plenty of errors.

The Irish lineout had a tough night in Newcastle, but Beirne was pleased that his team got the job done in the end.

“We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit, with indiscipline and allowing them access,” said Beirne.

“Especially in the second half we were camped on our own line and there were some areas in the game, especially around set-piece, where we fed their energy and gave them opportunities to continue to attack us.

“But credit to the lads. We fought hard to keep them out, and we were still able to get the win.”