Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt was drawn into reflection as he commences a special farewell to coaching in Europe.
Sunday’s (AEDT) match against England starts Schmidt’s likely last away tour before he departs as Wallabies coach next July.
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It begins at Twickenham, a place that Schmidt used to watch games at on black and white as a kid.
Schmidt’s legacy is intertwined with the home of English Rugby, as he claimed big wins after big wins.
In 2012, he claimed the Heineken Cup with Leinster, soaking in the breakthrough win in the Chairman’s Lounge after being locked in there for two hours.
Then there was the Grand Slam triumph in 2018, defeating the English to claim Ireland’s first in almost a decade.
The Wallabies’ famous last play almost 12 months ago continued that run of memorable moments for Schmidt at the ground, who reflected on what made it so different to the others.
“Twickenham is an unbelievably inspirational ground. The surface is outstanding. There's always an atmosphere. I’ve been really privileged to have some great days at Twickenham,” Schmidt said.
“I love the stadium. I love the way the support is here, even on the bus on the way in. The one thing I would say is that they're a real rugby crowd…It's a festival, almost, until you actually get on the field and then you're made to feel very uncomfortable but you're made to feel like you're welcome. I don't expect any different on Saturday."
He’s even seen the bizarre, including that match in 2018 where snow forced the lines to be changed to blue, before having to be changed to a combination of both so the referee (who was colourblind) could see.
“We had the Beast from the East and then the Son of the Beast came in and we were caught in the Son of the Beast,” Schmidt detailed.
“I'll never forget on the way to the ground, they had messaged me to say that they had changed the lines off the field to blue because there was so much snow around and then they messaged me again to say that they had changed the blue and white because the referee was colourblind and he couldn't see the blue lines.
“Those are some of the bizarre things that happened that people wouldn't even know about but they're memories that you have, just because they're maybe a bit quirky or unique.”
This tour is littered with past moments of Schmidt's legacy that have made him the legendary coach that he is today.
Next week’s clash with Italy is his most successful as a touring Test coach, having won all nine matches against the Italians.
Following this, it’s one final return to Ireland for the man credited with turning them into a team to be feared: three Six Nations, a Grand Slam and a world number one ranking.
Fittingly, his European career finishes where it ends as the former Clermont assistant takes on France.
Throughout that time, Schmidt has developed and adapted his coaching style to suit the current group.
“I've inevitably changed. Because I'm learning all the time and one of my biggest frustrations in finishing is I think I've accumulated more and more learning as I've gone on, and some of that's in how to manage myself and manage people, strategy in the game and shifts in the game,” he added.
“One of the big shifts was the aerial battle has become a lot more contestable now. So you've got to be good in that area because once upon a time, teams used the glove, the catcher, and there was no access to the contest. That was always illegal, but it only shifts when suddenly it starts to be refereed to like that, and people have to shift.
“Also, meeting the players who are based up here and having conversations with them. I had a conversation this morning with a player based in France, just trying to make sure that you're staying connected to people because they're always people before they are players.
“Those people want to be the best player they can be, but they first of all have to be considered not as resources but as people who have other demands on their time…There’s a lot more to it than purely strategy or training. They are people.”
