Canada wing DTH van der Merwe has conceded that his side must quickly pick themselves up after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Ireland.
The Canucks shipped seven tries at the Millennium Stadium to see their Rugby World Cup campaign begin on a sour note.
Having restricted their opponents for the opening 15 minutes, plus large spells of the second half, Canada try-scorer Van der Mere believes that there is plenty to build on.
"Ireland are a top-five nation and real contenders for the World Cup, so it was always going to be a tough day at the office," he told reporters.
"There is plenty of stuff to work on. We head into every game not wanting to lose, so we will work hard this week and focus on Italy. In the second half especially we played a little bit more.
"For 20 minutes in the second half the boys played really well. We got into Ireland's half about seven or eight times - we have to be more clinical in those positions."
Ireland are among those to have been backed to go all the way and lift the Webb Ellis Cup, despite heading into the competition on the back of successive warm-up defeats.
Van der Merwe, who left Glasgow Warriors to join Scarlets earlier this year, added: "They will be pushing for a place in the final. They have obviously had a few upsets in their last games, but they did well in the Six Nations and they looked sharp out there today."
Canada return to action next weekend when they take on Italy, while Ireland face Romania at Wembley Stadium.
Daniel Lewis
