His man-of-the-match display, which also saw him fill in at scrum-half when Conor Murray was sent to the sin bin, was a timely reminder to both Declan Kidney and British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland of his considerable talents.
And after a succession of injuries, most recently to both his ankles, the 34-year-old is keeping his fingers crossed that he can stay fit for the entirety of the Championships.
"The big thing is trying to be fit and getting as close to 100%fit as you possibly can when you take to the pitch.
"I felt good against Wales, my ankles both felt good, as did all the other bumps and bruises.
"If you can start games that way you have every chance of putting in a half decent performance.
"Wales have done a job on us the last three times [we have met].
"We came out of the blocks in the first half and played really well.
"They weren't going to be flat for the whole game and put it up to us in the second half.
"They were able to kick to the corners and build. They tied us down and got on the front foot."
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