By his own admission, Rory Best was caught slightly off-guard during the 2016 RBS 6 Nations by the level of intensity and scrutiny that comes with being Ireland captain.
Yet the hooker is not only adamant he enjoyed the experience but also convinced it will stand him in good stead moving forward.
Heading into the Championship, Best had made 89 appearances in an Ireland jersey since his debut back in November 2005 but, apart from standing in as skipper on a couple of occasions, had always played under the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell.
He acknowledges it was an adjustment to suddenly be the main man but he did lead the Men In Green to two wins and a draw as they finished third in the final reckoning behind England and Wales. However, the squad started slowly – drawing with Wales in their opener but suffering defeat at the hands of both France and England.
And the 33-year-old concedes that is when the weight of the armband really began to increase.
“I knew it was a full-on tournament,” Best told the Irish Independent. “To captain the side, you just don’t get a break from it, and it’s five games, so it’s not an extended period, but there’s definitely that bit more pressure on you.
“Particularly if you get to the second or third game and don’t get the win, you carry that little more expectation so you can’t just shrug it off; you know that you have to perform in the next game.
“I probably underestimated that a little bit, because I’d been involved in the senior player group and everything, I thought it would just be the same as the World Cup; you turn up and play and everyone else would go – but there is a little bit more of a sideshow if you like, the pressure and everything.
“I enjoyed it and really enjoyed working alongside Joe (Schmidt) as captain, and the other senior players.”