When Rory Best walks out of the Shelbourne Hotel this morning it will be the last time he does so as an Ireland player.
He will board the team bus, pass the packed pubs of excited fans, before weaving through the crowds on the way into Aviva Stadium.
On one hand, the 37-year-old is looking forward to being that punter downing a pint, on the other he knows most of them would kill to swap places with him.
“I’m looking forward to standing at the pub abusing the bus as it goes past as opposed to sitting on it,” Best smiled.
“When you’re sitting on the bus and you’re so nervous you’re looking out going, ‘What I wouldn’t give to be sat there with a pint and not worrying about this’.
“But there are aspects that you are really going to miss.
“As much as I love the nostalgic thought of being on the farm and doing what I used to love doing before the rugby took over, I’m going to miss the camaraderie, the day-to-day craic with the lads.
“It was only the other day in Carton House, coming off the pitch there that someone said, ‘I can’t believe you won’t train there again’.
“There is part of you going, ‘Thank God for that’. Coming back here in January, February, March when the weather’s horrific and the pitch is not great underfoot and you’re just there going ‘why?’ but you’ll miss jumping on the bus, leaving the Shelbourne and the atmosphere around that.
“Then you’re in the game and you know everyone there would give their right arm to swap with you. When you’re in the game there’s nowhere you’d rather be.”
Today will make Best’s 120th cap in green, his 98th start in a Test career that began all the way back in 2005.
In two weeks’ time, a fourth World Cup will be added to his CV – no wonder it is tough for the Ulster legend to choose a favourite memory.
“It’s really hard because so much happens and it’s hard not to look at the immediate past, the All Blacks game at the Aviva (inset), the All Blacks in Chicago, the Grand Slam at Twickenham,” he said.
“My first start against South Africa in 2006 I remember waking up in the morning, the weather was horrific and I’m there going, ‘Why on my first start does this have to be bad?’.
“Those memories stand out, the Croke Park games were phenomenal, especially the England game. You could just go on and on. Just the atmosphere you get, ultimately those are the things I’ll miss.”
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