Four years ago Tadhg Furlong barely had time to think about the Lions squad announcement as the ceremony was being dragged out on TV.
He was at Leinster training, arriving into the canteen just as the chosen players were being announced.
Last Thursday it was a different scenario. Furlong, back from France after the La Rochelle game, was quarantining in a hotel room waiting to learn his fate; a little older and a lot less carefree.
"I was bricking it. I was absolutely bricking it," admitted the Wexford man, who was speaking at a Vodafone event to promote their partnership with the Lions.
"This time I was watching the whole intro and build-up to it. I had it in my head, 'right if I'm going on this thing my name is coming out after Toby Faletau on the alphabetical order jobby'.
"Zander Fagerson came out, and I was like, 'F you!'. You're doing all that stuff in your head. Next thing I get called out. 'Thank God'. It's a mad feeling. It's class, but then it's so far away. You just don't know what to think."
"The front row are always the weird bunch in the corner, eating food."
The jaunt to South Africa will be Lions tour number two for the 28-year-old who first got the call in 2017 when Warren Gatland took the team to New Zealand and drew the series.
He may have been sweating over it last week but really Furlong's inclusion was a formality. His power at scrum time will be crucial in the face of what will be a ferocious Springboks challenge.
For some of his team-mates though, the news was bad. Johnny Sexton, Garry Ringrose and James Ryan didn't make the cut, while a devastated Kyle Sinckler, who toured with Furlong in 2017, publicly aired his bitter disappointment at not making it.
"You never know do you?" Furlong said.
"It's just so hard to get on a Lions tour. It's so open to opinion really. I thought 'Sincks' had a chance but it wasn't to be be. You probably saw at the weekend how much it meant to him and how disappointed he was.
"It's tough for them but it's testament to their character how they can bounce back that quickly because obviously I assume they were very, very disappointed. Sport can be cruel sometimes.
"I felt for the boys. I know they put so much into it. I have Irish-tinted glasses on where you have so much respect for them and what they bring, but it's not my decision."
For Furlong, it's now a case of getting on with the job at hand. The Lions is such a unique experience for players and fans alike. Rivals become team-mates; foes become friends. The dynamic shifts completely for an intense and full-on period.
"It's just about getting back out there and embracing the challenge of it all. When I look back on [2017] I kind of wished I'd enjoyed the middle part of the tour. The Test weeks, when it clamps down a bit, they're always enjoyable, the build-up et cetera. But the middle part where it's frenetic, I'm looking forward to hopefully enjoying that bit more this time around.
"The front row are always the weird bunch in the corner, eating food. We get on quite well together in our own weird little way.
It's one thing playing against a player and drawing judgement on his personality, it's another thing actually playing on a team with him
"You battle against these people for four years and the next thing you're thrown into a team with them. It's one thing playing against a player and drawing judgement on his personality, it's another thing actually playing on a team with him. I think that all adds up and I think that's why the Lions is so special.
"It's going to be tough being away for that long from your family and your friends but that's the sacrifice you make. Judging on the previous tour I was on, you're just so looked after on the Lions. I'm sure they'll do everything they can to help you over there."
Gatland's been-there-done-that demeanour will help put the players at ease as they head for camp. Furlong acknowledged as much - "you couldn't ask for any more experience there" - while also looking forward to another battle with Rassie Erasmus.
At the 2019 World Cup the South African told his players before their semi-final against Wales: "They are not softies, they're not like Ireland."
Erasmus has since aired his total respect for the Irish and pointed to the deep connection he has with his former club Munster in particular.
Furlong takes the whole episode with a pinch of salt.
"You have to put it into context don't you? They were playing Wales in the quarter-final, and I suppose everyone looks for something to gee the players up.
"Was it that? Did he actually believe it? Who knows? Everyone is entitled to their opinion if that's what he actually did think."
