Johnny Sexton admitted that he missed the moment.
In what was certainly his last competitive act in front of Ireland fans in Dublin, as he traipsed off the pitch after a vain attempt to stop an England consolation try in the Grand Slam match, the competitor within was pestering the doc for a timeline for a return to action.
He has conceded he should have taken a moment to appreciate the cheers and love that came down from the stands as they hailed their hero.
And as he became Ireland's top points scorer with the bonus-point try in last night's game, his face broke into a smile before the touchdown and as sure as he sidestepped Charles Piutau's tackle before the line, he evaded his team-mates momentarily to hop, skip and punch the air in celebration.
"I was just happy to score the try," he said in reference to the celebration but on some level it seemed to be a moment between him and the fans, one that he denied himself last March.
Sexton scored 24 points against Romania and in breaking Ireland’s World Cup record, as the oldest man to play for his country, he put himself within nine of his old pal Ronan O’Gara’s all-time tally.
It was fitting that he paused last night, briefly, on 1,083 points alongside the Munster legend.
And it was equally suitable that the points that propelled him to the top of the charts came as they did. Not by a gimme conversion under the posts but by a superbly worked try, his 18th in green.
🚨 POINTS RECORD KLAXON🚨
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) September 16, 2023
Johnny Sexton races between the posts for the bonus-point try, and become Irish rugby's record points scorer in the process, tagging on the conversion for his 1090th point ☘️https://t.co/rddgIxtOFd #RTErugby #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/rT3ciMODY4
"I think it was fitting," Andy Farrell, who was seen punching the air himself as Sexton crossed, told RTÉ Sport.
"He had nine points and equalled the record, didn't he, before he scored the try.
"That's what I was trying to find out with Vinny [Hammond], our analyst, and two minutes later he scored under the posts.
"You just knew when we got held up [over the line] and we were set to play that play, it was something we practiced during the week.
"He knows which ones to follow and he followed Conor [Murray] really well. It's so fitting that he broke the record with a try like that."
It’s in Sexton’s nature to downplay the moment but he was asked to explain how he felt as he touched down.
"I think one of the lads said it to me under the posts and I actually thought I had got it on the kick before," he said.
"It's something when you retire and finish, you can look back and be proud.
"I think my little boy will be over the moon, he was talking about it during the week and it probably means more to him.
"He'll chase it down now. And so will the other 10s.
"It's there to be broken now and I'm sure some young guys will be eyeing it up. Look, I'm very proud to do it but tonight was more about getting the win."
The 38-year-old was hauled off at the break with Ireland leading by 18 points and in that 40 minutes he had run the show like we’ve come to expect, always available, inevitably making the right decision.
His points haul, from 115 caps, is made up of 117 conversions, 212 penalties and those 18 tries.
But 1,090 is not the sum of the man.
"I've said to Johnny in front of the lads in there, he can talk for himself, but the record is fantastic," said Farrell of his captain, whose first scores came on debut against Fiji back in 2009, when, like last night, he scored 16 points.
"He'd say that's his job, but it takes some doing.
"To us, as a leader, as a player, he's a lot more than a points-scoring machine for Ireland how he prepares his team and gets them up for every single game is more important to him and certainly to us."
As for taking over from his old Ireland team-mate, Sexton joked that he wasn’t sure if O’Gara was still talking to him after La Rochelle beat Leinster in the Champions Cup final last May.
An investigation was launched by EPCR over an alleged half-time altercation in the tunnel that involved Sexton and O’Gara but nothing more came of it.
"I haven’t checked my phone yet," said Sexton with a smile when asked if he’d been contacted by O’Gara. "I’ve no idea. Ask him.
"I’m not sure we’re talking to each other after the European Cup final. No, I’m sure he will."
