There have been plenty of things to get Ireland fans excited during the current Six Nations campaign, but few of them will set the pulses racing like the form of Caelan Doris.
The Leinster man was absolutely incredible over the first two games, with his performance against France in particular one for the ages. The 25-year old has quickly become one of the most influential players in the side under Andy Farrell, and considering his age, it is very exciting to think about where his game could go from here.
The way he has gone from strength to strength over the last 18 months or has been remarkable. Having had his injury struggles after initially coming onto the test scene, not many would have predicted that we would see such a meteoric rise over such a reasonably short period of time.
However, it seems a few saw this coming quite some time ago.
Brian O'Driscoll was warned about Caelan Doris a long time ago
The way Leinster have nurtured their young players in recent years has been remarkable.
It seems that every season brings with it a new crop of talented youngsters coming through, most of whom look as though they could have a huge impact at both provincial and test level. As a result, it can be difficult to know which of them will have the best careers in the long-term.
In saying that, Caelan Doris was long earmarked by those within the province as perhaps being a step above the rest.
Speaking on ITV, Brian O'Driscoll revealed that someone within the Leinster setup warned him over five years ago about a certain youngster that was about to come through.
I remember five years ago I was talking to someone at Leinster, and there was a production line of back row players coming through. I was thinking 'wow, how are they all going to fit in'.
They said to me 'wait until you see this guy Doris, he's going to be next level'. That is proving to be the case, I think he has got an infinite ceiling.
If you think about the game a couple of weeks ago against one of the world's best no. 8s in [Gregory] Aldritt, who got subbed off after 52 minutes, he was close to anonymous in comparion to Doris' performance.
He just needs to continue to improve, remain the person that he clearly is and not got ahead of himself.
Rugby can be fickle, so that 'one game at a time' mentality is absolutely the right way to look at things.
If he continues on his current trajectory, it is scary to think about just how good Caelan Doris could end up becoming.
Here's hoping we see a few more like him come through the academies at the four Irish provinces.
SEE ALSO: Ireland U20 Star Sam Prendergast Defied Belief With Frankly Ridiculous Kick Against Italy
