At Thursday afternoon's press conference Peter O'Mahony spent just under a quarter of an hour telling the room what it means to him to play for Ireland, not least to win 100 caps.
But to really understand what representing his country means, you only have to take a quick look at him in the moments before a Test match.
Eyes closed, roaring every last breath of Amhrán na bhFiann or Ireland's Call, and more often than not the loudest man on the line.
On Saturday evening at Stade de France he'll stand out on that line for the 100th time in an Ireland shirt, the tenth men's player to hit the milestone of a century of caps.
"It's almost a little bit embarrassing with the names that are ahead of me to be honest, people I grew up following and supporting, hugely inspirational characters," he says of joining that elite list of names.
"It's going to take some time to settle in. It's nothing I ever expected or dreamed of. We all talk about having dreams but that one was way off the radar to be honest."
While O'Mahony might like to play his achievements down, the fact that he's reached triple figures in an Ireland shirt would come as a surprise to few.
An Ireland international since 2012, he was just 15 caps into his Test career when interim head coach Les Kiss gave him the captaincy on the summer tour of North America at the age of just 23, while he was installed as Munster skipper just a couple of months later.
But for a cruciate ligament injury at the 2015 World Cup which ruled him out for just shy of 12 months, his big day would have arrived sooner, having been a consistent selection in Irish squads under Declan Kidney, Joe Schmidt and now Andy Farrell.
"I've spoken to a few guys who have either finished or are at the end of their careers and you can't do as much as the young guys these days. Some of the extras you'd see guys doing after and pre-training, I just can't physically do them."
Perhaps his greatest achievement is how he's reclaimed his place in the starting Irish team in the last 18 months. In 2021 it looked like the flanker's role in the Irish squad was transitioning, as Jack Conan worked his way into Farrell's starting side, with O'Mahony used more and more off the bench.
But after playing a starring role in the summer tour of New Zealand last summer, the veteran flanker has cemented himself back in the first-choice back row.
At the age of 34, he looks at the top of his game, matching his natural leadership skills with his abilities both at the breakdown and as a defensive lineout specialist.
And he credits a lot of that longevity for his approach to the game later in his career, which he says has allowed him to keep "the juice in the legs".
"I've spoken to a few guys who have either finished or are at the end of their careers and you can't do as much as the young guys these days. Some of the extras you'd see guys doing after and pre-training, I just can’t physically do them.
"So I just need to use the sessions as diligently as I can to get as much fitness, ball-play, whatever I need to do, I need to get that in-session, really, because I’m obviously pushing on a bit, so it’s changing those little few dynamics.
"You just need to manage the body a bit more and the main thing for me is the Saturday. It’s about getting yourself prepared and ready for Test matches on the weekend. So there are certainly adjustments that have to be made and I’ve had some good guys who have looked after me through the years, S&C-wise and obviously coaches.
"Obviously training is hugely important and our standards are through the roof, but it’s about if I can be physically able to play the weekend and be in the best possible nick, then I’m normally in a good place, whereas if I’m going chasing stuff down, a lot of times you have tendencies in bigger weeks to do more because it’s a big week, and we’ve got to get through more.
"And it’s something we’ve learned over time particularly with this group, probably less is more at times, to keep the juice in the legs."
Under Farrell, these milestones don't go unrecognised. When Keith Earls reached his century in the warm-up game against England he spoke of the emotions in the days before the game when his family were invited into camp to share the experience with him.
Even in the heat and tension of a World Cup, there's still a place for these moments. As the Ireland squad arrived at their hotel outside Paris on Thursday afternoon, O'Mahony's parents, wife and three children were there to greet him.
Not one for a fuss, the Corkman laughed that he'd much rather be hiding away with a cup of tea than speaking about himself for 15 minutes, but the size of the occasion isn't lost on him.
"It’s certain I’ll have a sit down and think the odd time I’m sitting on my own having a coffee and have a quick think about it.
"I’m hoping there are going to be bigger moments in my career than this one, and hopefully in the near future.
"My firm focus will be on Saturday and my performance in the game," he added.
He was reluctant to start naming the names of those who have made him who he is for fear he would leave some out, but did admit that he'll be thinking of Anthony Foley this weekend, with his 100th cap coming just short of seven years and in the same city that his former Munster coach suddenly passed away in.
"Myself and Johnny [Sexton] had a conversation about it, I think it was on the way to the South African game actually, about sometimes it is weird to be in Paris and to think about Axel and what happened.
"It certainly is an incredibly sad memory, particularly for that Munster team who were in Paris that week.
"Axel is always somebody who is certainly in my head on a very regular basis and when you come to Paris he certainly comes to mind.
"I've the fondest memories that we had together and the amount of inspiration he gave, not to just to me, but to lots of young kids in Munster and Ireland. As I said, very fond memories."
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