For the last couple of months, Gavin Coombes has found himself battling with quantity and quality.
The 26-year-old has played every single game for Munster this season, and is key to whether or not Graham Rowntree's side go on and defend their URC title later this month.
And yet, when the province kick off Saturday's BKT United Rugby Championship semi-final with the Glasgow Warriors at Thomond Park, Munster's best number 8 may be among the replacements.
In recent months, Rowntree and his coaching team have experimented with their team selections, with power players like Coombes, Oli Jager and Tom Ahern all held back in reserve for the second half of games, Munster's own version of the Springboks' Bomb Squad.
The system appears to be working. Earlier in the season, and particularly during their injury crisis, Munster were struggling in the final quarter of games, but by taking some big impact players out of the starting team and holding them back on the bench, it's allowed them play more consistently across 80 minutes.
Ten wins in a row is more then enough evidence to show that the system is bearing fruit, even if Coombes admits Rowntree had to give him the hard-sell initially.
"The first time in South Africa, I was obviously a bit disappointed and you're always going to be disappointed when you're not starting," Coombes said, ahead of Saturday's semi-final with Glasgow (6pm).
"But there's reasons behind their thoughts and you've got to park that disappointment because you're still playing on the day and you've still got to do your role to the best of your ability.
"It's probably very disappointing when you don't see your name in the starting team but, for me, you park that and you do what you can for the team.
"It's been a different challenge, it's been exciting, it's been enjoyable.
"Obviously every rugby player wants to start and wants to play 80, ideally, and be involved in as much as they can but it's been different, it was a big part of what we did in South Africa and since we've come home.
"Just to be able to come on and make an impact and have a say on the game is huge and it is very exciting. As a squad we're all in it together so yeah, it's been good."
He was back in the starting team last week against Ospreys, and while he didn't put a foot wrong, he could find himself back in the impact replacement role at Thomond Park this weekend, with his head coach hinting that they may need to keep some power in reserve.
"I think the ability to bring on forwards like him against Glasgow, around that 50-minute mark, or even earlier will be vital to us this week," Rowntree told media on Tuesday.
And the Munster coach says playing off the bench is no reflection on Coombes' (above) ability; the back row has scored seven tries this season and ranks in the top two in the league for both tackles and carries.
The Corkman has also had to do the unglamorous work in the second row earlier this season, when his side were deep in an injury crisis.
"He's punched some numbers for us, if you look at the minutes he played last year," Rowntree continued.
"What's he's done this year is incredibly important to us. His tackling, carrying, lineout, maul, he'll slip into the second row and he helped us out there incredibly over the Christmas period when we were a bit barren in the second row.
"I'm a big fan of Gav, and you've seen how our bench philosophy has changed since South Africa, and what we've been doing there. He's been significant.
"What a luxury, to be able to bring that power on in the third quarter of the game."
Ironically, there's a belief that this current role of impact sub could potentially be his route back into Andy Farrell's Ireland set-up.
It's approaching three years since Coombes won the last of his two Test caps, and although he's been involved in wider squads, the number 8 missed the cut in both the World Cup and Six Nations.
Last week, Bernard Jackman said he believes being a high-impact bench player adds another layer to his game, and Coombes believes he's capable of catching the eye.
"I've always said that my ambition is to play for Ireland and to win as many caps for Ireland," he said.
"That's partly out of my control, what's in my control is what I can do week-in, week-out, but that's up to them to pick their squads and credit to them, they've been successful and were inches away from a World Cup semi-final.
"You can't argue sometimes, you've got quality players there as well but what I can do is impact Munster's season and put my best foot forward. That's probably been my mentality."
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