Since the 2019 World Cup, we have wondered if Ireland were fully committed to evolving their game-plan to such an extent that they will be better-equipped to think their way around the more powerful teams.

For much of the last two years, it has felt like more of the same, as concerns grew that lessons hadn’t been learned from past failures.

There is no point scoring 10 tries, throwing 16 offloads, making 29 clean breaks, beating 31 defenders and adopting an expansive mindset against a hapless USA side unless the coaches intend to strike a better balance with Ireland’s style of play.

No one is going overboard about the facile nature of the 71-10 victory, yet there were plenty of green shoots that if nurtured correctly can make Ireland a more dangerous and, perhaps most importantly, a smarter team going forward. USA didn’t offer much of a challenge and while their porous defence was asking to be exploited, Ireland did so in a manner that was as thrilling as it was effective.

That it was a young team with eight new caps inflicting the damage gave even more cause for optimism, but not if the old guard all return in November and Ireland revert to type.

This is a huge opportunity to turn a corner and build on a successful summer in which Andy Farrell has learned a lot about the next generation of talent flooding through. Some of those players who were in the wider squad over the last few weeks will likely have to wait for another call-up, but many of the young guns have shown they are now primed to play a bigger role and push the perceived front-liners.

Certain positions, such as the back-row, are far more stocked than say loosehead, but that’s the challenge for Farrell until the 2023 World Cup. The lineout still needs work because for all that Rónan Kelleher delivered another outstanding performance in the loose, set-piece issues were evident again.

As ever, it wasn’t all down to the hooker, and to his and James Ryan’s credit the Leinster duo solved the issues to such devastating effect that the USA were powerless to stop the Ireland maul once it got going.

Tom O’Toole’s debut couldn’t have gone much better. Yes, he wasn’t properly tested at scrum-time, the one area the young tighthead is still learning the ropes, but the Ulster prop’s comfort on the ball was indicative of a man relishing the step up.

Flying winger Robert Baloucoune, clever centre James Hume and the all-action Gavin Coombes looked equally at home in the back-row and having enjoyed his first Test start, one senses that another big season lies ahead for the West Cork man, especially with CJ Stander having retired.

In total, Farrell used 34 of his 38-man squad over the last two weeks and although Tom Daly, Peter Dooley, Ross Molony and Michael Lowry will be disappointed not to have experienced any game-time, the Ireland head coach has generally taken a measured approach in introducing new players to Test rugby.

O’Toole and Baloucoune are good examples of that, as they had both been in camp on a couple of occasions, getting a feel for this level before handling the step up. For the four unlucky ones who were left out, the hope is that they will be all the better for the experience and be even more hungry to impress next season.

Ireland face a huge year, as Farrell begins to turn his attention to the autumn home Tests, which are understood to be against the All Blacks, Argentina, Japan and a rematch with the USA in Vegas.

Improvements will be expected on Farrell’s two consecutive third-place Six Nations finishes before Ireland travel to New Zealand for a mouth-watering three-Test series next summer.

By then, almost a year out from the World Cup, we will have a better understanding of where Ireland sit in the grand scheme of things.

Thumping a poor USA outfit at home only told us so much, but there is no doubt solid foundations have been laid. The big question now is: how will Farrell and his brains trust go about building on this platform?

Supporters want to see a more attractive brand of rugby, and while none of them will be naive to think Ireland will adopt a similarly carefree attitude against the likes of the All Blacks, a slight shift in approach could make a major difference.

For now, Farrell can reflect on a positive summer series, aware that the pressure is about to crank up a notch as he enters the second half of his masterplan.