Ireland bounced back from a loss to Scotland with a comprehensive nine-try win over Italy, on Saturday, but Martin Johnson wants to see the players tested against bigger and better packs before nailing his colours to the mast over his picks for this summer’s British & Irish Lions.

CJ Stander was the man of the weekend, scoring a hat-trick in the win over Italy, making 22 carries and dominating the social media buzz as he was the second most talked about player on Twitter, over the course of the weekend’s action.

Only England’s Elliot Daly got more interest, with the Irishman garnering 3,184 Twitter mentions, which translated to an 83 per cent share of the flanker coverage.

Johnson named the Irishman - who beat 11 defenders, made two clean breaks and gained 73 metres - in his Lions XV of the week, but was reticent in going overboard in his praise for the 26-year-old.

“He played well,” said England’s World Cup-winning captain.

“Stander scored tries - would he score them against the best team in the world? That’s the question.

“He probably wouldn’t have scored a couple of them against the All Blacks, which isn’t a knock on him, because you can only do what you do.

“But as a back row player you’ve got to be an all-round player, when you’re playing against the best in the world - you can’t be one dimensional.

“I picked him in my team, though, he played very well and did what he had to do, he’s a big strong guy.”

Tadhg Furlong was the only other Irishman to make Johnson’s Lions team of the weekend, doing so for the second consecutive time after making four carries and five tackles.

The 24-year-old Leinster prop was impressive in helping the Irish pack overcome their Italian counterparts - coached by compatriot Conor O’Shea - but despite his fine form the tight-head was not among the four most talked about props this weekend.

Johnson, however, is convinced of his class and can’t wait to see what he does next.

“Tighthead props are nuggets of gold because there aren’t many good ones, anywhere,” added the Leicester Tigers legend.

“I think he’s played well and had good involvements, he’s still relatively new to international rugby, so hopefully he’ll keep improving, so I’ve picked him both weekends.

“Scotland maybe aren’t the strongest front row, and he’ll be tested against better scrummages in France and England, potentially, so they will be good matchups to watch.”

Garry Ringrose was another to catch the eye for the Emerald Isle this weekend, with the young centre scoring a blistering try to cap a fine display.

Johnson again wanted to see what the 22-year-old from Blackrock can do against stiffer competition, but admitted he had to be in the running for a spot on the Lions Tour.

“When you’re playing for Ireland you’re right in there with a shout - there’s only four starting shirts in each position across the nations,” Johnson said of Ringrose, who was his side’s second-highest metre maker with 78 from ten carries.

“He’s still got to go against Jonathan Davies, potentially, and Jonathan Joseph, and against the French boys as well, so he’s got some real challenges.

“So we’ll see with those games where they’re going to go.

“But he’s done pretty well, scored a nice try and is a young players that’s full of potential.”

And in a team performance full of potential, it was young fly-half Paddy Jackson that Johnson finally singled out for praise.

While he did not pick him in his team of the week, going for England’s George Ford instead, Jackson was the talk of Twitter.

The 25-year-old Ulsterman racked up 1,033 mentions, equating to a 39 per cent share of the fly-half chatter, after kicking 18 points, making eight tackles and 51 metres.

And Johnson likes the look of Jackson, who has just 21 Test caps to his name since making his debut in 2013.

“He seems to be a guy in control of what he’s doing,” concluded Johnson.

“Playing ten is tough. You’re touching the ball the second most times behind the number nine. “You’re in that directional role, there’s pressure kicking, but he seems a guy who knows what he’s doing.

“I’m not saying he’s playing perfectly, but he understands what he’s doing and when he’s trying to do it, and he’s happy with that - and getting his teammates involved.”

Martin Johnson is an Ambassador for British & Irish Lions Principal Partner Standard Life Investments.