When Conor Murray first threw the Irish number 9 jersey over his back in 2011, it marked a phenomenal rise for the Munster scrum-half.
His first Irish start came on his third cap, a World Cup debut against the USA that only six months earlier would have seemed improbable, to put it mildly.
Between March and October of 2011, Murray went from his first Munster start to becoming Ireland's first-choice scrum half.
This evening against Tonga the 34-year-old will earn his 109th Ireland cap with France 2023 being his fourth crack at the Rugby World Cup.
"It feels long," he says as he looks back on his World Cup bow 12 years ago.
Having made the breakthrough with Munster at the tail end of the 2010/11 season, Murray was the bolter in Declan Kidney's World Cup squad that summer when he featured off the bench in two warm-up games before starting the tournament opener against an Eddie O'Sullivan-coached USA in New Plymouth.
He finished that tournament as first choice scrum-half ahead of Eoin Reddan and Isaac Boss, and would own that jersey for the majority of his Test career.
In recent seasons though he's been playing the support role for Jamison Gibson Park, with the Leinster man's pace a perfect fit for the style that Andy Farrell wants to use.
Murray may no longer be first choice, but he's still an influential player in the group and almost certain to be involved off the bench when fit.
And having seen many players drift in and out of squad down the years, he knows the value of that role.
"I am really lucky to have made four [World Cups]. I've seen in every cycle that people fall out through injury or through form.
"It's just a grateful one, I suppose, I'm really lucky to be part of a squad, especially this one.
"They've all been great craic and they have all been talented squads, but this one ticks a lot of those boxes, the camaraderie we have.
"I hope that shows from the inside out, we don't need to talk about that, we're a really tight group and obviously with the potential we have.
"Timings and injuries and stuff is part of everyone's career.
"In pre-season it's probably in the back of everyone's mind, especially having been to a few of them and knowing how special it can be, the memories you have from them, the thought of getting injured and you want to play your best rugby and put your best foot forward to make it onto the plane.
"It hits home how special they are and how special the memories are that you make from these tournaments, however long we're together. So yeah, I'm just grateful to be part of this."
While his captain Johnny Sexton is showing it can be done at 38-years-old, Murray admits his fourth World Cup will probably be his last, with his friends and family coming over in numbers to "make the most of it", including his father Gerry who has made great progress recovering from a serious accident in February.
"It's brilliant. Friends are starting to come over this weekend, a few people have 'follow your team' tickets and things like that.
"My Dad is on his way over on the ferry as we speak [on Thursday], so it's great. He's in good health and he's back golfing and doing everything he loves. It's great that he's able to do it.
"Families love it. You see it when they turn up how excited they are, so it just kind of hits home how big it is."
Murray starts in the evening's Pool B clash with Tonga in Nantes having appeared off the bench in last week's 82-8 win against Romania in Bordeaux.
Ireland will be considerable favourites against the Pacific islanders, but Tonga do pose several attacking threats with four ex-All Blacks in their side.
There will be plenty of intel on the Irish system in their squad too; Leva Fifita and Salesi (Charles) Piutau previously played for Connacht and Ulster, Tonga assistant Tyler Bleyendaal is a former Munster teammate of Murray while centre Malakai Fekitoa also played alongside him for the province, helping them win the URC earlier this year.
"He’s a tough, tough competitor," he says of Fekitoa (below).
"He’s a great fella and he really bought into our culture when he was at Munster.
"He wasn’t involved at the start of the season but he was the ultimate pro, always doing extras, always looking after himself really well.
"And obviously on the pitch he’s a massive threat. You saw that towards the end of the season with Munster. He’s really physical.
"He’s a ridiculous athlete and he’s quite intelligent as well so he can bring players like Piutau in and set them free, too.
"Their back-line is littered with guys the size and pace of Malakai so yeah, we have to be on our guard for those guys.
"Yeah, you're dead right. I think given where you’re perceived to stand, those teams will be really fired up to play against you and that probably just comes with the territory.
"We’re definitely aware of that, definitely aware of how emotional teams can be. Any team you play can be like that on a world stage in a World Cup game."
With South Africa and Scotland still to come for Ireland in Pool B, there's a long way to go before the jury comes in on their tournament.
All three of Murray's previous tournaments have ended at the quarter-final stage, and although he's wary of history repeating itself, he says there's no reason why Ireland can't believe their best days are to come in 2023.
"I think, not that we have a right to [believe] but just from where we are on the journey we've been on over the last few years.
"I’d say we’ve had a great three or four years’ run and we’ve had a lot of success but a number of us have been to World Cups and we’ve come in in good form, it really just comes down to the competition and how well you play within that competition.
"So, you can take a lot of confidence from what we’ve done but also it’s a completely different competition that you’re in and what you’ve done. People can say it doesn’t really matter for much.
"I think the whole group know, and you’ve heard us say it before, that if we play to our potential we have a chance and I think we’ve done that more consistently over the last few, three or four years than we have previously in other times.
"So, yeah, it feels different but I think everyone’s aware of how hard we have to work to still try and go as far as we can."
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