There is a real sense of unfinished business for Rory Best and the British and Irish Lions so to finally make an original tour party proved to be a very special moment for the Ireland captain.
After only being named in the squad for Australia four years ago following Dylan Hartley’s ban, this time Best got the nod from Warren Gatland, while the England skipper ended up being the one excluded from the 41-man squad named on Wednesday.
At 34, this is very much Best’s last hurrah in the famous red shirt – he made four non-Test appearances in the series-winning 2013 tour – and the Ulsterman is determined to relish every moment in New Zealand.
“I’m just delighted and relieved as well,” admitted Best, who watched the squad announcement while on holiday with his family.
“After four years ago with not being named in the initial squad and then with everyone saying this time ‘you’ve got a good chance to be named in it’, to then be sitting round with my family when my name was read out was just elation and that was probably the best word for it.
Tense and nervous
“You try to tell yourself that you’ve been here before and it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get it, but ultimately waiting for the announcement was very tense and nervous.
“And no matter how much you tried to kid yourself that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t make it, it would probably have felt like it if I hadn’t,” he added.
In what must have been a tight enough call for Gatland, Best’s leadership of Ireland in last October’s historic defeat of the All Blacks in Chicago can’t have gone unnoticed.
And not only that but the stirring closing-day win over England in the Six Nations must also have helped, a game which also seemingly swung the day in favour of Kiwi Jared Payne and Iain Henderson, Ulster's other Lions squad members.
For Best, who has toured New Zealand before with Ireland, this Lions excursion will only succeed, and gain a first series win there since 1971, if the squad gels quickly and genuinely shares information.
“Everyone knows each other and we’ve played against each other at club and international level so it’s just about trying to become a team and driving forward and holding nothing back.
Leadership group
“The little intricacies we have with Ireland, we need to explore those and tell people about them in the Lions, what worked against New Zealand and what worked in other games, and we’d expect to see that [input] from the other nations,” said Best who, though not a nailed-on Test starter, will be a core member of the Lions’ leadership group with skipper Sam Warburton.
“We have to get together, strip everything back and try to enjoy each other’s company and hope that is also reflected on the pitch.
“New Zealand is a different environment and any time we’ve been there with Ireland it’s a lot more hostile and you’re in a real goldfish bowl.
“It’ll be very tough, but what an opportunity to go and prepare to do something very special.”
Now it's about staying fit and then trying to edge out Ken Owens and Jamie George for that number two Test shirt.
