Oli Jager, the latest Ireland international, has a unique look.
With a moustache that would put Magnum PI to shame, images of the tighthead prop sporting a white bandage over his forehead conjured up comparisons with a World War I soldier taking a pause in the trenches, the image captured in grainy black and white.
A better similitude perhaps would be of a full-body portrait on a 1920s promotional poster for a title fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship, with his two fists cocked up in that 'Queensbury Rules stance'.
The man standing after 20 rounds the winner.
Back in 2024, the former Crusader looks built for international rugby.
Standing 6ft 4in, and weighing 19st 11lbs, Jager (below) cuts a formidable figure at tighthead prop.
"He's a big man, very low maintenance, a proper man's man, you know? The 'tache says it all!" said head coach Andy Farrell last week.
For the last 10 years the London-born, Kildare-raised, Blackrock College-schooled forward had been busy helping the Canterbury side to five Super Rugby titles.
Talks with Farrell when Ireland were in New Zealand in 2022 set the wheels in motion and Munster signed Jager last November, in a move that came about quicker than expected.
That’s been the most difficult part of the journey, returning home without home comforts.
"Coming over here away from his wife, his mum and dad are in Abu Dhabi, his wife is stuck in New Zealand," revealed Farrell after Ireland’s 31-7 win over Wales.
"She’s only been over for two weeks and in those two weeks we’ve had him in camp, out of camp, they’ve not had their dogs, they’ve had to go over to London to pick their dogs up out of quarantine.
"His wife has done that on her own. It’s been a rollercoaster ride.
"We’ve just given him his cap there in the dressing room and it was brilliant as you would expect. It’s been a tough old week for him, it’s been a rollercoaster ride."
Jager, who after just five Munster appearances, was added to the Ireland squad as a "training panellist", came on in the 55th minute.
"I went on auto-pilot mode," he says in his Kiwi-Irish brogue, of the moment he replaced Tadhg Furlong with Ireland leading 17-7.
"Once you cross that line you trust the work you did during the week and you just back yourself to know what to do.
"You play the game in front of you but it definitely felt faster and my legs definitely weren’t happy with me towards the end.
"It’s a hard thing to put into words. Obviously proud.
"It’s such a wonderful feeling to get that first cap and against such a great team in Wales and in the Six Nations, too. I have no words to describe it. I’m over the moon.
"My mam is here. It's fantastic. It’s a really special occasion for her to be here and one of my brothers is here too. It’s awesome to have some family. My uncles are all in the stands as well somewhere."
The 28-year-old, who made 11 tackles in his stint, admitted that the cap presentation afterwards really hammered home just how far he has come in such a short time.
"I had been just putting it off for the whole week, just playing it down so I don’t get too nervous before the game," he added.
"I felt it when the anthems came on and I just managed to push it back down. After the game then I was just in all sorts. I didn’t shed a tear but I definitely got a bit more emotional.
"It definitely has something to do with [the career journey] because I have been out of Ireland for so long and the fact that I am home now and it has been a whirlwind couple of months.
"I’ve made my debut for Munster and now for Ireland so it's been hard to get used to and get everything back into one place.
"Yeah, it's definitely the journey I’ve been on and going from not getting into the [Leinster] academy when I came out of school to going to New Zealand to making the Crusaders academy, playing for Crusaders and eventually building up a reputation enough to come home.
"It all feels full circle.
"I’ll be honest, there probably was [a time I thought my time had passed].
"There probably was a point where I was thinking I should have come home earlier and I should have done other things differently.
"It definitely came to a point where I thought the boat had sailed and I would just have to live with that."
While Ciarán Frawley and Calvin Nash are also Six Nations newbies, and the likes of Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Tadhg Beirne came into the Irish system at different stages of their careers, none have parachuted in like Jager; all had time to adjust to how things are done around here.
"It isn’t easy," he said.
"It’s a whole new way of playing. Of course, every team plays differently and I have had to do a lot of study, a lot of sit-downs with the players and the coaches and trying to get my head around it.
"I would say I’m about 80% there. I know what I need to do around the gameplan.
"There’s a couple of things that I need to get a bit more comfortable with but what makes it is easier for me is that rugby is a game.
"If someone is carrying the ball you tackle them and if you are carrying it you try to run over them. If I simplify it, then it makes it a bit easier to learn rather than having to overthink things."
Jager’s next job is keeping his place in the Ireland 23 for Saturday week’s clash against England at Twickenham.
To do that he’ll need to usurp Finlay Bealham and Tom O’Toole, but it looks a task he’s ready for.
Watch highlights of the weekend's action on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Against The Head tonight at 8pm.
