Ireland finished the Six Nations as the championship's top scorers but it is his side's "true grit" that Andy Farrell takes most satisfaction in.
It will please the former England and Lions defence coach that it is exactly that part of Ireland's game that will be tested to the max when the players next meet up for the tour of New Zealand in July.
Having missed out on summer tours to Fiji and Australia in the last two years due to Covid, Farrell is set to take around 42 players to New Zealand.
Apart from three Test games against an All Blacks side intent on revenge after losing in Dublin for a second time in three years last November, it is now expected that two fixtures against the Maori All Blacks will also happen.
In terms of preparation for the World Cup in France in the autumn of 2023, such a demanding schedule is what Farrell wanted after Ireland's Triple Crown winning Six Nations campaign.
The head coach pledges to continue the blooding process this summer. "It's going to be important," he said.
"That's why we're going on the tour and that's why we're trying to extend the tour."
It was a championship of plenty of highs, without hitting the heights of the November series clean sweep.
Bonus point wins were achieved against Wales, Italy, England (at Twickenham) and Scotland. The Triple Crown trophy presentation last Saturday night marked the first such success on home soil since 2004.
As illustrated on Saturday, Ireland played chaotically at times. Farrell rightly says that there is plenty to improve on, with that famed cohesion that Eddie Jones talked up eluding the men in green for lengthy periods.
But it is such a positive that Ireland have transformed their way of playing.
They are, along with France, not just ahead of the rest of the Six Nations pack right now but also the championship's entertainers, having scored 24 tries - seven more than the Grand Slam winning French - and 168 points.
They also conceded the least points - 63 - and coughed up just four tries. That is the stand-out takeaway for Farrell.
"It shows what type of side we are and the character that we have," he stated.
"That was what was most pleasing about Saturday - how we defended our own line in that second half was true grit.
"To have four tries scored against you, it says a lot about the group and how much they're willing to fight for one another.
"We were open enough to say that we wanted to go for a Grand Slam and not be scared of that.
“We came up short in Paris but for the second year in a row put ourselves in a position where we’re into the last day with a chance. We knew we had a chance of winning a Triple Crown, a trophy to go for.
"There’s pressures within all that, such as going to Twickenham and getting an away win.
“But the group has grown in many areas - none more so than in the mental strength of the group that’s got great resolve, hence the bonus-try wins.
"We all know how tough it’s been with Covid, lads not being able to play in front of crowds, the experience of that. That’s why we’re only starting within our growth.
“There’s plenty more still to do regarding going for trophies with a big expectation of playing well."
How Dan Sheehan performed after first-choice hooker Rónan Kelleher suffered a first half shoulder injury in Paris is a serious boost, while winger Mack Hansen has emerged as a serious option.
However the loss of Andrew Porter since round three underlined Ireland's real issues with depth in the prop positions.
Joey Carbery got to start a Six Nations game for the first time - doing so in the Stade de France cauldron - and performed well under that pressure.
When Johnny Sexton came on he provided the direction that Carbery must be given game time to find before France 2023.
The Munster No 10 was kept in reserve until the Twickenham contest was put to bed and, against Scotland, came on at full-back late on.
Farrell will start him in at least one Test match in New Zealand.
"He played a massive match in Paris," insisted Farrell. "But it just so happens that our 10 is our captain as well, who has guided us through all those difficult patches.
"Joey understands all of that."
