In 2021, Josh van der Flier had his 'Eureka!' moment.
The Leinster flanker was a regular Ireland international at that stage, albeit not a guaranteed starter as he is today.
Pre-match anxiety was a big thing for the Wicklow native, but it wasn’t actually a natural feeling.
"My preparation for games now looks completely different," he says, as he gets ready for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against England.
"I still tried my hardest back then to prepare well, but you learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and how you can get yourself to the best place for performing at the weekend.
"Back then [before 2021], I felt if I wasn’t really nervous I wouldn’t play well.
"I would have hated being anxious, but felt that I needed to be anxious. It was one of them funny ones so definitely that changed a lot."
The moment he realised it didn't have to be like that came one evening when he was a traveling reserve on game day.
Not expecting to be involved, Van der Flier went through the motions of the pre-game warm-up without the pumped up anxiety he’d previously forced upon himself, only to be called in to play at the last minute.
"I’d obviously learned the plays and stuff, but I’m not playing and then someone gets injured in the warm-up and you have to play. You’re completely relaxed and then you have to turn it on and play and it goes real well and you’re thinking ‘maybe I don’t need to be so wound up about the game’.
It’s hard to believe now, but Van der Flier’s (above) career was at a crossroads back in early 2021. For a time, it looked like the back row was falling behind Will Connors in the eyes of Andy Farrell, only for a Connors injury to open the door for his return later in that Six Nations.
Having realised he didn't have to be nervous to play well, he made a conscious effort to lean into that new preparation for the 2021/22 season, and it led to the best form of his career, scoring 12 tries in 27 games for club and country, starting all 11 games for Ireland, while he would go on to be named world player of the year in December 2022.
"That definitely helped me flick that switch. I don’t know if it would work for everyone now, but I definitely found that’s where I play my best.
"I started trying to switch off more in the build-up to games and that season, the first game I tried to go as relaxed as I can into a pre-season game. I played that, felt really good, felt more relaxed, and I was able to not be as uptight and read the game better and get into more of a flow state if that makes sense.
"And then I kept that on from then. Since then I’ve been happy being as relaxed as possible. If there is a 24th man, or lads who aren’t playing, I like to chat to them because they’re always really relaxed whereas everyone else can be a bit tense. I like to keep it as calm as possible, I found that worked.
"Even small things. I’d always be so strict on what I ate before a game, I wouldn’t have any treats whatsoever whereas now, the odd morning of a game, I might have a croissant or something, just to relax, something to enjoy.
"Or a day before the game, I’d have a donut or a couple of cookies or whatever, it’s a small thing but it helps me. You relax, it’s enjoyable, whereas I’m not being uptight, anxious about the game," he added.
Life outside of the game has also changed him for the better, he believes.
Having spent the early years of his career sharing a house with five other Leinster team-mates, rugby was inescapable.
"All we talked about was rugby. And then I met my girlfriend [Sophie] - now my wife - and she wasn’t that interested in talking about rugby so you kind of went away from it, and I kind of found that helped me, gave me a much better balance," he added.
Now 31-years-old, Van der Flier will begin his tenth Six Nations campaign with Ireland on Saturday against England, the team he made his debut against way back in 2016.
There are still some pre-match nerves, but only the good kind; the "butterflies in your stomach" ahead of walking out in front of tens of thousands on the day of a Test match.
"Even running out on the pitch, I smile to myself, ‘this is cool’, you know what I mean?
"Before, I would always be a bit afraid, didn’t even think of the crowd, whereas now I would think ‘this is unbelievable’. My family is in there, you’re just able to really enjoy it."
With six tries in 14 games this season, Van der Flier is right back at the level he was when he won world player of the year a couple of years ago.
He turns 32 in April, and while even the whispers of retirement are still several years away, he’s mindful of preparing more "efficiently" after reaching his 30s.
"It probably feels the best I’ve ever felt to be honest playing. I’ve been trying to get the body in as good a place as it could, my body feels the best it’s ever been.
"I spoke with Peter O’Mahony a few times and Cian Healy and they’ve obviously had brilliant longevity. I wouldn’t consider myself old by any means, it certainly something that once you get past the 30 mark, you need to be thinking, and they’ve been really helpful to me, they’ve given me a few tips here and there.
"Up until three or four years ago, I’d probably finish training and staying out for ages afterwards and then you’d be stiff and sore the next day.
"Try and get the key bits of practice in when warming up, a bit more efficiency, feeling very good, and hopefully keep the momentum going."
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