Jack Crowley knows he's going to be compared and contrasted to Johnny Sexton and Ronan O'Gara but the Ireland out-half is eager to forge his own path.
The 24-year-old is set to start against France on Friday evening in Marseille (8pm). It will be his first Guinness Six Nations start on his tenth cap.
Crowley had already usurped Ross Byrne in the pecking order prior to the Leinster man's arm injury, preferred by head coach Andy Farrell as understudy to Sexton during the latter games of the World Cup.
With Sexton retired, and O'Gara's long shadow as Munster's most recent dominant 10 still looming, expectations are high for the Innishannon man.
"I think if you asked any other lad at any other province or any other team in the URC and whatnot, you always aspire to be in the starting position," said Crowley.
"You want to be that guy. I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
"And given the calibre of the two lads and what they’ve done for their provinces and for Ireland as a nation — they’ve obviously served massively and achieved massively.
"Of course, that comparison is going to be there and there’s an expectation.
"But I think that’s what makes Irish rugby so good: that we have that expectation and ambition. I hope that we can fill that.
"I suppose we can only really judge that on the main stage.
"[Johnny has] been there and done it and there’s so much evidence in terms of, if I was to compare myself directly to him, it’d be difficult because he’s been to those big occasions and he’s delivered on them.
"So, for me, it’s about going and doing it.
"When I get the opportunity — or if I get the opportunity — then it’s about taking it. And then we can compare. Ye [the media] can critique and pick it apart and let me know."
The Bandon clubman has just one previous Six Nations cap to his name, a brief cameo off the bench as Ireland scraped past Italy in Rome last season.
But Farrell had him "running the tee" for Sexton in 2023 and the last two years in the set-up, since making his debut in 2022 against Fiji - and a subsequent late call-up to start against Australia a week later - had him in close proximity to the ex-Ireland skipper and well able to soak up what he could.
"For me it’s just how he prepared himself and made sure he had his own house in order," said the 2023 URC winner when asked his he had learned.
"Then, moving on, the confidence that brings feeds into the team. From my point of view it’s trying to look after my game and my house and then off the back of that I can add to the team in a positive manner.
"Look, we all believe that we have our own strengths and that’s something that you try to play to without, again, trying to force that.
"It’s naturally what’s in you as a player. And by fitting into a team like this where lads are so good at preparing themselves, that’s what allows you to go out and perform.
"It’s important that you do take that responsibility when you get the chance to play."
Billed as a World Cup final that never happened, and as a possible title decider in the opening weekend, there are few bigger challenges than the one coming on Friday night.
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