Intensity.

Andrew Porter has revealed how Ireland try to make Test rugby feel a little slower by turning up the pace in training.

Ireland opened their November campaign with a 42-12 win over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night, with Hugo Keenan scoring a hat-trick.

Speaking after the game, Porter explained how Andy Farrell’s side prepare to play at that tempo.

“Most of our conditioning, most of our training, is all ball in hand,” Porter said.

Johnny Sexton had identified fitness as an area Ireland needed to work on heading into November. Porter’s account gives an insight into how the coaches have gone about it.

By keeping the ball in play during conditioning, they can ask players to make the same decisions they’ll face in a Test while pushing them physically.

Ireland aim to train at match speed or faster. The idea is to get players used to making decisions and executing their skills when they’re tired, so they feel like they have a little more time when the weekend comes around.

“So when it comes to games, it feels like you’ve already done it.”

There was a good example of what that looks like in Keenan’s third try against Argentina. Tadhg Furlong and Joe McCarthy were both involved in the build-up before Ryan Baird supplied the final pass to put Ireland’s fullback away.

Keenan got the finish, but the work of the three forwards was what made the try stand out. A tighthead prop, a lock and a blindside flanker all handled the ball in the same move, giving Keenan the chance to finish it out wide.

Ireland host Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday before welcoming world champions South Africa to Dublin the following weekend.