Few people would've predicted Owen Farrell to captain the British & Irish Lions down under in 2025 - especially the man himself.
Farrell's inclusion as injury cover for Elliot Daly received a colourful reaction from fans and pundits which continued after he came off the bench in Adelaide against the AUNZ XV.
Final tickets still available! Get your tickets for the British & Irish Lions tour here.
However, the English veteran is keeping a grounded approach as he prepares to take on the Lions captaincy for tonight's clash against the First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne.
"It's an honour, it is. I'm not taking anything for granted at the minute," Farrell told reporters earlier.
"I'm very excited to be here first and foremost and to lead the boys out tomorrow will be great. I want us to be the best we can possibly be and enjoy doing it at the same time.
"We've got a great opportunity off the back of what the boys did at the weekend to kick on and put a good performance in and keep us going in the right direction."
The match will mark the 20th occasion Farrell has put on the famous red jersey - one he didn't think he'd wear again after missing Steve Borthwick's England squad earlier this year.
"It's not the way you think anyway as a rugby player," he added.
"People will be different, everyone will be different, but the only thing you can do is what's happening there at that moment.
"I was in a new space [at Racing 92], a new place, trying to make an impression there, so I was fully focused on what was in front of me, to be honest.
"I feel good [now]. I've been over here for a while now.
"I've enjoyed getting stuck in and training. I've enjoyed playing the 30 minutes that I had a chance to do, and tomorrow's another chance to get out there.
"I know it's a huge honour, I know it's a big responsibility, and the lads have been doing a great job of that over the course of this tour already, so we want to keep that ball rolling."
Now on his fourth consecutive tour, Farrell has been quick to pick up where he left off with several players and staff, including Finn Russell and Johnny Sexton.
"I just got asked to come on tour, and I thought I'd love to," Farrell said.
"This is obviously massive. I went and did something different for a while, and I'm obviously coming back now [to Saracens], but it was just where I was at at the time, and the opportunity that was there.
"I appreciated my time in France. It obviously didn't go well, and I was injured for a large period of it, but I appreciated it. I don't regret it at all, but I'm happy with being back here.
"I'm determined to love every minute, however long I've got left in the game that I love. My focus is on what's in front of me, which is here, and then when I get back to the Saracens, making sure I am myself.
"I think if I do that, I'll enjoy it, and then we'll see what happens."
While Farrell has put the past behind him and says he'll keep his rugby front and centre, he knows many fans may have a different opinion.
"Not to say that it's all bad, but the things that should matter to me and should matter to us as players is the people that matter to us," Farrell said.
"Not to say that people will just pat you on the back. You know that you have people who will tell you... they'll give you a real answer. I think if you do that and you're in a good place yourself, then you can deal with it.
"There's times where people can say this, that and the other and it just goes over your head. There's times where you're not in the best place of all time and you're almost waiting for something to set you off.
"Making sure that I'm looking after myself, that it's all coming from a good place in the first place, then I think you're able to deal with more."
