Sam Cane and Johnny Sexton will shake hands later today in the Stade de France ahead of the coin toss with referee Wayne Barnes, with one captain very aware it could be his last ever game of professional rugby.
There will be a certain 'Win one for the Gipper' energy to all Ireland games from here on out, with the entire nation knowing that Sexton is one defeat away from a new beginning in the packaging industry.
Such is the excitement gripping the nation during this World Cup, and so far away seems the next Six Nations, that it's unlikely many are giving thought to life post-Sexton.
His influence was already vital-bordering-on-overbearing before he assumed captaincy duties from Rory Best in 2020, but he is now, even at 38, quite clearly Ireland's talisman. The player who makes this team tick and certifiably undroppable.
His opposing captain's career will continue after tonight - win, lose or draw - and with it will continue the questions around his status.
In some eyes Cane is the All Blacks' undroppable captain, who would be dropped if he wasn't the captain.
The hard-working openside starts in the back row alongside the imperious Ardea Savea and physically imposing Shannon Frizell in Paris.
Dalton Papali'i started at 7 against France when Cane pulled up injured during the warm-up ahead of the opening game of the World Cup and there are many who feel the Blues flanker offers more than Cane.
Peter O'Mahony's unflattering comparison of Cane to legendary All Black openside and captain Richie McCaw during the second Test last summer struck a nerve, even if the man himself dismissed it as "good rugby banter".
It has been dredged up again this week by some as evidence of Irish rugby's arrogance and lack of respect for the All Blacks, but in the months following O'Mahony's quip in Dunedin there were polls running in the New Zealand media asking if Cane should keep his place in the national side or be dropped.
Former England scrum-half Stuart Barnes has argued Cane lacks the physical dominance to play openside. In this respect Cane may be the victim of comparisons to his number 8 Savea, who is widely regarded as one of the best back-row forwards in the game.
But he is also forever going to be compared to a 42-year-old helicopter pilot.
The All Blacks became the darlings of sports coaches across the world, not to mention captains of industry and people who post their implausible daily work schedule on LinkedIn
McCaw is widely accepted to be the not only the All Blacks greatest ever captain but also their greatest ever player. The All Blacks are big on not owning a jersey, just keeping it safe for the next guy. Well, McCaw kept the 7 jersey safe for Cane, who had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a back-to-back World Cup-winning captain.
Kieran Reid took over the captaincy until his own retirement from international rugby after the 2019 World Cup, with Cane deputising on occasion as he took up the captaincy of the Chiefs.
Heavy hangs the crown for the captain of a New Zealand XV who have lost some of the lustre of previous incarnations. From 2004 to 2014 the All Blacks boasted a win rate of nearly 95%.
Thanks to their almost flawless record and the culture that built up around it they became the darlings of sports coaches across the world, not to mention captains of industry and people who post their implausible daily work schedule on LinkedIn.
The 2019 RWC semi-final loss to England welcomed in a new age for the Kiwis, one where coach Ian Foster, his captain and many of the players are constantly scrutinised and criticised.
When it comes to Cane, all that doubt is coming from the outside. Former All Black hooker James Parsons told the RTÉ Rugby World Cup Podcast this week that he retains the total faith of the squad.
"You guys have been a bit harsh on our skipper, but that guy cleans more rucks than most and the boys love him."
Bernard Jackman, speaking on the same podcast, is also a fan.
"I think it's madness. I think he is well respected in Ireland, especially among anyone who has played against him."
New Zealanders go to the polls in a general election this weekend and, at times, the role of All Blacks captain can seem akin to that of an elected representative.
Cane felt compelled to apologise after kicking/tripping an Argentinian pitch invader back in July - an act that could see players in some codes lauded on social media.
"I am really sorry," said Cane of the relatively innocuous act. "I feel awful and am deeply disappointed in myself. I am trying really hard to make contact with the person involved to apologise for my actions and make things right."
As well as being an upstanding citizen, the All Blacks captain is normally - in modern times - a forward. Tana Umaga is the only back this century to have captained the All Blacks on a significant number of occasions.
Cane ticks that box, but other sides have dropped their captains - admittedly with varying results. England have ground their way to the quarter-finals without Owen Farrell in their XV for the crucial games (he returns for Sunday's clash with Fiji) while Eddie Jones jettisoned Michael Hooper from his squad entirely.
The All Blacks bag chain is unmatched 🙌#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/hUbXzsPdWv
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 12, 2023
Watching the All Blacks inefficiently transport their all black wheelie bags from their truck outside their hotel, it reminded us of all those theses written on the famed All Blacks 'No d**kh***s culture.
How their sweeping of the dressing rooms inspired a host of successful devotees, such as the Dublin footballers.
McCaw was the poster boy for this sporting cultural phenomenon. So much so, cynics might argue, his flawless off-field image blinded referees to the fact that he resided for most of the 80 minutes in a land called 'offside'.
From Sean Fitzpatrick to McCaw, Umaga and Reid... the All Blacks captain has been a totem, a figurehead for the team and the country. It would do Foster no favours to follow the lead of Steve Borthwick or Jones and drop his skipper.
So it is not unreasonable to suspect that in a coin toss between Cane and Papali'i, the captain's status may give him the edge. If not undroppable, he is at the very least less droppable.
With Foster to be replaced at the end of the tournament by Scott Robertson, it would do Cane's reelection hopes no harm if he was to play a starring role tonight in terminating another captain's career.
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