Captain Caelan Doris said Ireland “showed what we are capable of” as they started their quest for a third straight Six Nations title with a bonus-point win over England.
England led 10-5 at the break but tries from Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan in a dominant second-half display sealed a 27-22 victory for the holders.
“It is definitely satisfying,” said Leinster back row Doris.
“Momentum is huge in this competition. You can’t win it in the first round, but you can lose it essentially or dampen your chances.
“I think we showed what we are capable of at times. It was a good 10 days leading up to this and there is a strong belief in the plan we have within our attack.
“As we get deeper into the tournament, it’s going to be something we need to get stronger with and we need to develop.”
Ireland were edged out by England in a Twickenham thriller last year and Steve Borthwick’s side threatened to stage an upset in Dublin following a hugely energetic first-half display.
But Doris insists Ireland’s belief that they would “break” England never waned.
“We needed to get back to doing things our way,” added 26-year-old Doris, who earned his 48th cap in Saturday’s win.
“A feeling at the end of the first half that we thought we were going to break them – and when we were getting into their 22 and score zone, things were going to happen for us.”
