The Irish rugby landscape has changed dramatically in the last two decades.
From wooden spoons to Grand Slam expectations, this weekend could be another monumental timestamp in the history of the country's success.
There’ll be a seismic shift in playing personnel, as Ireland prepare for a ferocious decider in this season’s Six Nations championship, with the news that Cian Healy, Peter O' Mahony and Conor Murray are retiring from the international game.
This will be their last international match at Aviva Stadium, after amassing 371 caps between them.
I don’t remember the last time Ireland named a squad without any of the three of them.
You’d expect all three to play a part for their last run-out on home soil, bringing an emotional edge to this round-four clash, as if any more emotion or meaning was needed.
Ireland will be losing three Test centurions, two Lions captains and the most experienced Irish player ever.
371 caps brings an enormous amount of experience and rugby intelligence.
Including the three of them in a potential championship decider is a no-brainer, considering they have all won five championships in their careers so far.
Looking for their sixth, Murray, Healy and O’ Mahony have won five of Ireland’s six championships since Italy joined the tournament in 2000.
Ireland have only won 16 titles in all iterations of the tournament to date.
The trio have won half of the team's total number of Grand Slams. The enormity of what they have achieved in the game should not go understated.
I played with Pete and Conor for what was a brief stint of their careers, but a large chunk of mine.
It was evident then that I was rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest players to play with Munster and Ireland.
As a retired player, people often ask who is the best player you've played with or against, and luckily for me I was a jersey number away from Murray on occasion.
It didn’t take too long to think. Paul O’Connell, Keith Earls, Murray, O’Mahony and others played together on one team. You could answer that question within the confines of your own team-mates.
At one point in time, whether the timing aligned with World Rugby awards or not, Murray would have been considered at least the best scrum-half in the world, if not the best player in the world.
At the height of his powers he was a global superstar as far as rugby was concerned.
One of the most influential players of this modern Munster era is undoubtedly O' Mahony.
Through the modern rugby lens, Pete brings a traditional hard edge to any team he is involved with. He sets a standard of the actions around him and has an old-school way of expressing what he feels about a situation.
He’s one of those players that lives to play the game itself. The training ground is something that feels like a necessity for O’Mahony.
You’ll never overhear his squat, deadlift or bench press PB’s. That’s not what lights him up inside. It’s merely part of the job that allows him to perform at the weekend, where it matters.
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The things that struck me about Pete were his jumping ability in the gym, his skillset, and his brain for the game. O’Mahony was endorsed by the likes of Paul O’Connell, and that doesn’t happen as a younger player unless you’ve got a mature head for the game.
It’s a huge part of what allowed him to have the international career that he has had.
The bit that sets Mahony apart is his competitive spirit and fight. His leadership and other immeasurable aspects of his game are going to leave a gap for both Munster and Ireland to fill.
While I didn’t know or play with Healy, he’s Ireland’s most capped player, after many career threatening injuries. What he has put his body through, and how he has carried himself as a professional is profound.
If these three heroes are to get the send-off that they deserve from their home crowd on the international stage, Ireland will have to bring the very best of themselves to the encounter.
While their record has been blemished in this championship, this is a seriously dangerous French side, off the back of a try-scoring record in their win against Italy last time out.
They have power and precision from forwards and backs, with balance across their game plan and threats in every strategic direction. They can implement the power game or cut you open with some French attacking flair.
There’s an unpredictable nature to France that Ireland won’t enjoy. This game will need control and bravery, with some experience to settle the ship if things are going against Simon Easterby’s team.
The retiring Irish trio will more than play their part this weekend and it could be quite a fitting end to their final international game on home soil if they’re to get a win over Les Bleus.
Easterby is acting on behalf of Farrell and his environment. From the outside looking in, it seems like they get these types of moments right.
Whether it is finding a better connection in Irish camp through the involvement of families, or giving players the right send-off, Ireland have harnessed these moments in the past to come up with the right result.
It would be a fitting end to the careers of O’Mahony, Healy and Murray if Ireland beat France this weekend, teeing up a final day of a Grand Slam challenge in Rome the following weekend.
