As an exercise in readying themselves for the world champions in Croke Park on Saturday this was useful enough night out for Ireland, if you can say that anything fits that category on an evening like this.

We had been told that the worst of the weather would be gone by kick-off and sure enough that's how it seemed. Then it came back with a vengeance as the anthems were being unloaded on us and it put a whole new complexion on the evening. Wet and windy and horrible.

The highlight for the home team was the debut of Jonny Sexton who hit seven from seven with his goal kicks, punted very well, and made a handful of clean breaks. All of which was enough to secure him the man-of-the-match award, which may well have been a unique occurrence for an Ireland debutant, Sexton kept his defensive end up as well. And now? Well, if we are to move him along then sooner rather than later then he needs to get game time against a first-world nation.

That won't mean a start against the 'Boks at Croke Park but he needs to get on the pitch at some point because Ireland need another out-half and this boy is in form. Gordon D'Arcy too made a case for himself, and Tom Court at loose head got through a load of work around the field.

The only set-back for Declan Kidney was the injury to Denis Leamy who was stretchered off early in the second half with an ankle ligament injury that will be scanned today. His departure allowed Sean O'Brien pick up his first cap and hooker Sean Cronin got in on the act when the bench was being cleared in the last quarter.

By that point Ireland were making up for time lost getting to grips with the conditions. It was an especially difficult night for scrum-halves and Eoin Reddan suffered when he desperately wanted to impress. It hadn't been a great night for him.

If it wasn't so wet it may well have been a bonanza for him given the security of the set-piece. Aside from a bit of slewing early on the Irish scrum was a platform for whatever you wanted to launch -- if you could control the greasy ball.

And Fiji? Well they just loved this didn't they. You felt for them having to bang the ball up in contact against a team much better at it than them. Not a night for fancy hands then. Still, they postponed the inevitable for a decent period of time and it wasn't until Brian O'Driscoll sickened Nicky Little by intercepting a pass meant for Norman Ligairi that Ireland had some daylight. That was 47 minutes into it, and while Ireland were a long way from getting worried at the time, leading 13-6, the 38th try of the captain's career sorted the game for good. They went on to finish with five tries.

"The difference between Ireland and Scotland for us was how clinical Ireland were in their finishing," Fiji coach Mike Brewer said afterwards. "Our set piece was a bit better but our decision-making in defence let us down a bit."

That tells you something about how weak their set-piece had been a week ago. The middle period was their best: the last 10 minutes of the first half saw them survive a bit of trench warfare on their own line, and then they opened up well enough after the break until Little threw the intercept.

Initially Ireland had struggled to subdue them and even after Keith Earls, on 17 minutes, got this first of his two tries -- a slight variation on the five-metre scrum that got them out of jail against Australia -- Fiji hung in there.

They were only 3-13 down at the break and the final scoreline was a little unfair, with Earls, Rob Kearney and Shane Horgan all getting over in the final quarter. Horgan made the most of his chance to get back in the starting side with Luke Fitzgerald out of the picture, but Earls is a shoo in for Saturday. There is plenty to focus on in the coming week and what Earls might do to the world champions will be high on the list.

Naturally Ronan O'Gara's issues will be top of scores to be settled but Earls got excessively bad press on the Lions tour and he was sharp enough last night to suggest he's in the right shape win over those who slow learners.

Scorers -- Ireland: K Earls 2 tries; R Kearney, S Horgan, B O'Driscoll try each; J Sexton 2 pens, 5 cons. Fiji: N Little 2 pens.

Ireland: R Kearney (P Wallace 75); S Horgan, B O'Driscoll (Capt) (A /Trimble 68), G D'Arcy, K Earls; J Sexton, E Reddan (T O'Leary 55); T Court, J Flannery (S Cronin 73), J Hayes (T Buckley 63), L Cullen, P O'Connell (D O'Callaghan 68), S Ferris, J Heaslip, D Leamy (S O'Brien 46).

Fiji: N Ligairi; V Goaneva, G Lovobalavu, S Baikeinuku (Capt), N Roko; N Little, M Raulini; A Tarogi, V Veikoso, V Seuseu, W Lewaravu, I Rawaqa (L Nakarawa ht), A Satala, A Boko, A Qera.

Referee: M Jonker (SA).

- BRENDAN FANNING at The RDS

Sunday Independent