The sight of Stuart McCloskey trudging off the pitch after just 28 minutes against South Africa, with his arm held in his jersey as a makeshift sling, was a disheartening one to see.
The 30-year-old had finally been given his shot in a big game, and was taking it. Ireland's best player in the first half-hour, he made nine tackles in defence and broke three tackles in attack, as well as teaming up with Caelan Doris for a big jackal penalty.
It was just his seventh Irish cap, more than six years on from his first against England, with a couple of games versus USA, and one each against Fiji, Georgia and Japan dotted across his career.
And as he walked off the pitch at the Aviva, cap number eight felt a long way away.
"I was frustrated at the time, I thought I broke my forearm and I was pretty worried about that," he said.
"Going off, I was thinking I had waited six-and-a-half years to play another tier one team - not that playing other teams isn't big ,but it's nice to show yourself against a world class team like South Africa - so I was disappointed."
To the Ulsterman's relief, the damage wasn't serious, and after initially fearing he could be staring at months on the sideline, he's now likely to be back within days, and is expected to be involved in this Saturday's meeting with Fiji.
"I was very disappointed at the time, but things have resolved themselves pretty well. Hopefully I'm looking alright for this week.
"It was a nerve - the ulnar nerve if we're being specific - I hit that and my arm just went completely dead. My forearm was in a lot of pain but it cleared up pretty well. My hand is still getting full function back, but it's getting there.
"When you think you've broken your arm, you're thinking 12 weeks or more, so it's just relief that I can get back playing again. I didn't think it would come back so quickly but it's resolved itself pretty well."
If, as expected, he's named in the team by Andy Farrell tomorrow, it will be his first time playing consecutive games with Ireland in his career.
As a specialist centre, the Bangor native has had to be patient for his opportunity, with Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw monopolising the 12 and 13 shirts for Ireland in recent seasons.
And while his latest cap was a brief one, he believes it shows Ireland's centre options extend beyond that three-man committee.
"For me, it was always a thing that I wanted to get back here. I could have left years ago and not worried about playing for Ireland, but I always wanted to get back here and not prove to Andy, but prove to others, prove to everybody, that I can do it at this level. It’s more a personal thing than proving to anybody else.
"Listen, I’d love to be in the reckoning for the World Cup but there’s a long time between now and then. I just want to play a few more games in the next year leading up to the World Cup, and to play 80 minutes would be great."
And while he's bullish about his own capabilities, he says he understands why the opportunities were slow in coming his way.
"When Bundee [Aki] plays, he's been very good. When Robbie's [Henshaw] played 12, he's been very good. Why would you change a winning team?
"That's the way I look at it. I've played at the same sort of level as them, club-wise, for a long time. It's just waiting for your opportunity to get in there and play for Ireland.
"If I was Andy [Farrell], why would I change the team unless I was leaps and bounds ahead of those guys? Those two are probably two of the best 12s in the world for the best part of five or six years.
"I don't think I was lots better them, but I think it was quite an even balance between all three of us."
And with another chance potentially falling his way this weekend, he's hoping he can make a mark ahead of the visit of Australia.
"As long as this hand resolves itself pretty well, which I think it will. I’d love to keep on playing on.
"I know it’s only provincially, but over the years I think I’ve done very well, bounced from game to game, played a lot of rugby. It’s always seemed to work for me when I’ve played three or four games in a row, not just in and out one game here and there."
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