The plan was never for Peter O'Mahony to play the full 80 minutes but Jack Conan and Joe McCarthy were in the wars so, needs must.
Going into Saturday's Six Nations encounter with Wales, Peter O'Mahony had logged 286 game minutes for the season. The longest he had played was 59 minutes in a 33-7 Munster win over Stade Francais.
The Cork native, who turns 36 later this year, last played the full 80 for Ireland in their agonising World Cup quarter final defeat to New Zealand (16 months ago). It looked as if last season's Six Nations would be his farewell, yet here he is. Still togging out, and fronting up for his country.
O'Mahony had the honour of captaining Ireland to Six Nations glory last year and admitted, after the title was retained in Dublin, he would have to discuss his future back at home. Most of us felt that was it, but the talks must have gone well as on he played.
Caelan Doris is now the captain and Dan Sheehan was asked to fill in when his Leinster teammate picked up a knee injury. It would have been simple for Simon Easterby to ask O'Mahony to captain Ireland again. Instead, the interim head coach looked to the future and, even though O'Mahony started blindside, Sheehan led Ireland outr at the Principality Stadium.
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Peter O'Mahony records impressive Cardiff record
When Ireland found themselves in a hole, in Cardiff, trailling on the scoreboard and down to 14 men, for 20 minutes, they must have felt the only way was up.
Then McCarthy and Conan picked up knocks. Ireland needed Peter O'Mahony and he did not shirk the challenge.
Peter O'Mahony (seated, centre) celebrates as Ireland captains Dan Sheehan, right, and Caelan Doris lift the Triple Crown trophy at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile)
In the lead-up to the match against Wales, Mike Sherry spoke with Off The Ball about Peter O'Mahony, his long-time Munster teammate. He declared:
"Pete has been disrespected for five, six, seven years now, at this stage. He's been worth his place for a long time. He, perhaps, doesn't have the same numbers, in his stats, as Caelan Doris or Josh van der Flier but that is a lot to do with his positioning at scrum-time, lineouts... with Pete and Tadhg Beirne at Munster, I always say teams can come with their best plans and tactics, but when you have guys like them, disrupting your lineouts and in over the ball, it is very hard to play against."
Ireland were off-colour against a ferociously spirited Welsh side but they had O'Mahony at the furnace.
The flanker topped Ireland's tackling statistics with 19 made and none missed, as well as making seven carries and winning three lineouts. He did not have it all his own way, against the likes of Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan, but he helped Ireland dig in, and climb back into the match.
When Ireland were restored to 15 men, as Bundee Aki replaced 20-minute red card recipient Garry Ringrose, O'Mahony was back making carries and clearing rucks. Ireland scored the final 17 points of the match to stay on course for the Grand Slam.
It was no coincidence that Doris, in his Ireland tracksuit, sought out O'Mahony for a big embrace after the final whistle.
These are surely (surely?!) O'Mahony's final games for Ireland and he is emptying the tank to try deliver an historic Six Nations three-in-a-row.
