Cian Healy's record-breaking night last Friday almost ended up being a false start.
Around 30 minutes before kick-off ahead of the 34-6 win over the Dragons, the loosehead prop was lying on his side under the posts as a couple of Leinster medics set to work on the back of his thigh.
A few grimaces and striding runs later, the Healy was back up and running. The brief scare wouldn’t stop him playing his 281st game for Leinster, more than anyone in the history of the province.
"I had a little wobble in what I thought was my hammy but it was the adductor on the inside of the leg," Healy said of that injury scare.
"Yeah, it's alright, just got a little bit of a crampy feeling while I was stretching away and it was fine."
The 36-year-old was remarkably candid as he spoke to the media on Friday night. Healy has traditionally held a good poker face when he’s in front of a microphone, so it was refreshing to see him let his guard down and embrace the attention.
In addition to his 281 Leinster appearances, his 131 Irish caps are just two short of Brian O’Driscoll’s record. Between the two, he’s now amassed 412 games in a 17-year professional career, enough games to satisfy two healthy careers.
"I did [take stock] when I landed on 400. I personally thought that was a cool number of games to hit and that to me was like, 'Wow, I didn't think I'd get this many games playing for this club and my country.'
"I took a bit of stock and enjoyed that but it was in the middle of one of the tournaments so it was fairly 'crack on!'," he added.
Healy (above) turns 37 next week, and admitted this season will "probably" be his last. The summer of 2025 would probably be an appropriate time to call it a day, ten years on from the neck injury which he thought was going to end his career.
The only pain these days is the good kind.
"The body is good. It has its aches but it's always had its aches. If you mentally give into those aches and start taking Mondays off training and doing that, that's not what I'm about, so I don't think it has that effect on me.
"I enjoy the challenge of getting around sore knees and a stiff back, and getting through a training session and playing my part. I like that. It's like a small personal win that nobody else needs to know about.
"That's what gets you through hard days of training when you're stiff and sore and you've had a big scrum session the day before. They're the micro-bits of the game that I enjoy."
Already the most decorated Irish rugby player in terms of trophies, it seems inevitable that Healy will pick up three more Irish caps in the next year which will see him move above O’Driscoll as the most capped Irish player ever.
But the loosehead says getting one more trophy would trump three caps.
"That's not in my hands, what's in my hands is to put a couple of performances together when Leo [Cullen] and the lads give me the opportunity to try and get back into that squad.
"I'd love to win another Six Nations, that is something I'd want to be a part of, share those experiences with more people, love to be part of the November Series that looks to be against some serious teams.
"There is an itch I want to scratch there and it's not so much about going past Drico [O’Driscoll], it's about winning and achieving things with groups of people. That's something that seriously drives me."
To mark his appearance record for the province, his former teammate – and previous record holder - Devin Toner presented him with his cap in the changing room after the game [below], a moment Healy says will stay with him for some time.
"It massively caught me off guard because he called over to the house yesterday during the captain's run and dropped off a gift and a card. I was onto him and chatting to him but he kept his cool and didn't mention a thing.
"He was in the changing room with his son and spoke some unbelievable words and was very close to having me in tears. A special moment, it was real nice and I hope it's something I can do in the future for someone else.
"They all made a huge effort and made it a special week for me, but the personal and the feelings about it, I just tried to park for my preparation and to try and be in the best head space for a game as I could. I do have a great feeling of pride at the moment and I think further on, I’ll delve a bit deeper into what it is and what it actually has taken to get here."
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