Keith Wood will cajole the most battered and bruised body in world rugby through another hectic 15 months before deciding whether to end an illustrious playing career that has spanned the amateur and professional eras.
Wood will pack down in the Harlequins front row on Saturday against Gloucester in the opening round of the Zurich Premiership at the Stoop before joining the Ireland squad to prepare for their two World Cup qualifiers next month: it will be virtually non-stop until the end of the World Cup in November next year.
By then the Ireland captain and hooker will be 31, not that ancient but in a sport where physical intensity is rapidly reducing the shelf-life of international players, Wood's club contract ends next June and he regards the World Cup as a natural point to retire.
"I have not made a decision about my future," said Wood, whose wife Nicola is due to have their first child. "I will definitely bow out at the top and not carry on for as long as I can playing down the divisions. I have interests in a couple of companies and I have never been someone who has regarded rugby as a job of work: it is something I enjoy, as much now as I ever did."
Wood is hardly the quintessential Harlequin: an Irishman with a rebellious streak, who confronted the Irish RFU three years ago over image rights in a dispute which could have brought his international career to an end, he joined Quins just as amateurism was abandoned, a club associated with hampers and Hooray Henrys more than militant Munstermen.
Quins have since become more moulded in the Wood image, more community conscious and commercially aggressive, less removed and more aware. When the club was threatened by relegation last season, before the general reprieve when the First Division champions Rotherham were denied promotion by England Rugby Ltd, Wood was the only leading player to declare publicly that he would not seek a transfer if the club went down.
"I've been here for seven years, apart from a 12-month sabbatical when I went back to Munster, and I could not imagine playing for any other club," he said. "I was not just saying that I would have stayed; I had a meeting with the Ireland management and told them. What people should remember is that, though last season was very disappointing for us, we did not stay in the Premiership because of ERL.
"We stayed up because we beat Leeds at home at a time when we did not know that Rotherham were going to be denied promotion. We showed that night that we had pride in the jersey and we have to take that attitude with us into the new season. I know that there is a certain image surrounding Harlequins but a lot has changed over the years. There is a fancy Dan element to the side and there's nothing wrong with that because, if every team played the same way, rugby would be a bland game.
"Our supporters wear crazy clobber, good on them, and give us fantastic backing. What surprises people is the spirit that there is at this club. Attendances have increased in recent years and what we have to find on the field is a consistency which will take us up the table. We have a tough start with Gloucester, followed by a visit to Leicester, but that is what it is all about."
Ireland are not alone among the home unions in having to go through the World Cup qualifying process but they are in ruder health than both Scotland and Wales and, potentially, are challengers to France and England for the Six Nations title.
"There is talk that the fixture between France and England should be the climax to the championship each time because they have been the dominant forces in the last couple of years, but I believe that form is cyclical," said Wood. "And it's not as if England have been winning grand slams. Ireland have come a long way but still have a lot of work to do."
Ireland released their coach Warren Gatland last year even though he had masterminded their best championship campaign for 16 years. It was a controversial decision but Wood believes it was right. "Warren did a lot for the Irish team: we'd been incredibly loose and he tightened us up; he brought a consistency to selection and our style of play; and we got over what had been a couple of embarrassing years.
"That said, his successor Eddie O'Sullivan is the best national coach I have worked under by a large margin. He is very thorough and this is a big year for us with the World Cup looming. This is an exciting time and my body is in better shape than it has been for five or six years. I am ready for the fray."
It is hard to imagine Ireland, or Harlequins, without Wood. "I've always believed in having a career outside rugby because you need to keep your mind fresh," he said. "My companies are involved in public relations and consultancy and I present Rugby Special, which I enjoy. I have been thinking what I will do when I retire. I do not have the temperament to become a coach but I would not rule out staying in the game in some capacity.
"But my focus has to be on the next year with so much rugby to be played. I love the game as much as I ever did and it is still a lot of fun. It does take its toll on your body, more so now than ever, but it is worth it."
