Ryan Baird will win his eighth Irish cap on Sunday but a first Six Nations start will mean an awful lot more.
The giant Leinster lock made his international debut against Italy a year ago in an empty Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Six of his seven caps have come off the bench with the Test against the USA last summer his only start.
But just after lunchtime on Sunday, he will depart the Shelbourne Hotel in central Dublin for the short hop down to Lansdowne Road, and it’s a journey he can’t wait for.
"One of the most special things for me actually is driving on the bus from the Shelbourne to the Aviva," he said.
"You look outside and just see so many people clapping you as you're going into the stadium.
"It just gives you such a great perspective on where you are and the opportunity you have been given.
"It's always one of my favourite things, getting the bus to the stadium and just soaking it in. Singing the anthems realising how many people you are representing.
"It was only a while back, I was at a family gathering and so many people were coming up to me telling me how proud they are and how much they supported me.
"Sometimes you can actually forget that. You can get caught up in training and the day-to-day life of playing rugby and the challenges that come with it.
"It's nice to always reflect back on who you are doing it for and why you are doing it. Then it makes it a lot easier."
Just 22 years old, Baird, who is 6’ 6" tall, has made 36 appearances for Leinster and says that starting against the Azzurri is easier on his nerves than springing off the bench.
"I'll tell you, the only time I get nervous is if I'm coming off the bench," he said.
"Sitting there, you've warmed up but you might not be coming on until 40/50/60 minutes, so that 60 minutes where you're looking at the game, it's fast-paced, you're like, 'Jesus'.
"You just get a bit nervous because the second you get out there, all that obviously goes away, you're ready for it.
"Going back to the bus, no, honestly, one thing I always said I'd do, is just enjoy it and never take it for granted.
"My parents always tell me to just realise how fortunate I am to be where I am. I just try to really enjoy it, take it all in because rugby is going to be such a small part of my life, if you look at how many years it is.
"But I want to make it as meaningful as possible. I really want to get the most out of my career, however many years it is. I really want it to be something special that I hold onto.
"So, I wouldn't want to be keeping caught up in smaller things that will take away from the whole occasion and the enjoyment of it.
"Obviously when that whistle goes or in the lead-up when I arrive at the stadium, I'll switch into a different mode altogether – more preparation and focus, getting ready for an 80-minute performance.
"But before that, I just like to stay relaxed, enjoy it and take it all in."
James Ryan’s adductor strain has opened the door for Baird to slot in alongside Tadhg Beirne in the second row.
He’s an admirer of the Munster lock, who has been one of Ireland’s form players over the last year.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I get on very well with Tadhg, he's a phenomenal player but he's a great person as well," added the Dubliner.
"Before my first Aviva game, I think it was against England, he was just making sure I was happy with everything.
"He sat down with me and went over calls and he's definitely made sure that I've always been comfortable, he's always telling me to trust myself a bit.
"I get on really well with him and am looking forward to playing with him.
"Last year, I obviously would have been just fresh in and I’m just enjoying it. It was my first cap in Rome, there was no one there. It was a different experience.
"I was went out to, as Faz always says, to just be myself on the pitch. I guess that's what I have been learning throughout the last year.
"Not to put huge unnecessary expectations on myself, just to be present in every moment.
"What I have been trying to do lately is, if it's something good that happens in training or the match or something bad, I just let it go and focus on what's in front of me.
"I can worry about it at the end of the match, I can go back and think about it.
"The team needs me in the moment, so that's the biggest thing I have been working on in the last year, just really committing to being present in the moment."
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