Here he goes again. Tommy O'Donnell is poised for another shot at the World Cup, almost four years to the day from when his hopes lay crumpled and gone on the Cardiff turf.
An outstanding performance in the opening warm-up for the finals against Wales was ended when the Munster flanker suffered a hip dislocation and a string of injury problems have dogged him since.
But here he goes again, a wildcard in the race for place on the plane to Japan next month. Much could happen between now and then.
The 32-year-old is happy to have got this far, having tried but failed to get selected in the closing weeks of last season after suffering a serious shoulder injury in January.
“I was hopeful to get the call off Joe and eventually it did come my way," O'Donnell said.
"Once you get into this environment, you're just trying to show up at every training session and put as good a marker down as you can.
“As soon as I got the phone call, that was my attitude heading into the camp.”
He has been reflecting on 2015, getting is bearing on the physical fitness markers that got him up to speed then compared to what's required now.
And the injury? “But you have to put it down to a freak accident," he stressed. "It could've happened in the first warm-up game, the last one, in the first game of the World Cup.
“That's the way you have to approach injuries. You commit 100 percent to everything because if you don't, the more likely something's going to happen to you – you're going to be dominated in the physicality (stakes).
"The first few days, at the time, I didn't know if I was ever going to play again.
“So to be able to rehab and be back on the field within 16 weeks - there were a lot more positives to play off, rather than thinking, 'Oh, I missed out on a World Cup there.'
“Well, it's four years later and I'm still playing rugby. If you were to give me those two situations, I'd much happier be in this situation here.
‘Instantly, when an injury happens you’re like 'ah f**k', you’ve feel you’ve let yourself down, you’ve let the team down.
"But once you get into World Cup camp, you’re just trying to change mindsets. You’re trying to show coaches, 'This is what I can do - this is the level I can take it to, this is the level I can reach with my skill, knowledge of the game plan', and just show what you can do, really.
"Making the squad would be (a career highlight) but there would be so much more.
"There’s players in here with massive ambitions so there’s a lot more to achieve, so if I manage to achieve and get on the plane that it wouldn’t stop there. There would much more to achieve".
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