Five unlucky players who missed out on Ireland's World Cup training squad
With Munster's URC title glory and Leinster's European heartbreak in the rearview mirror there is little time to dwell on what has been and gone.
The biggest assignment of all - the Rugby World Cup - is fast approaching and pre-season preparations are effectively under way just three days after the curtain was pulled on a dramatic campaign.
Andy Farrell has gathered all the intel he needs from the final months of the club season and loosely shaped the squad that will travel to France in search of the Webb Ellis Cup in September.
A training panel of 42 players will descend on the IRFU High Performance Centre in a matter of weeks and naturally there are a few players who can feel aggrieved to have missed out.
Conversely, there are some names in the selection which had done little to usurp those less fortunate on the evidence of the last 12 months.
Munster will be most irked given they have just nine representatives, despite beating Leinster en route to major silverware this season.
But which players were most unlucky to miss out?
Once again, Jean Kleyn is the name on people's lips come squad selection time ahead of a Rugby World Cup.
In 2019, it was Joe Schmidt's call to opt for the South African ahead of the established Devin Toner that caused ructions.
Kleyn ultimately failed to reward the kiwi's heavy backing amid widespread scrutiny and has not togged out for Ireland since Farrell took charge at the beginning of this four-year cycle.
Now a URC champion, the durable lock has rebuilt his reputation after a standout season for his province.
He made a whopping 24 starts for Graham Rowntree's charges this season and despite the return of World Cup winner RG Snyman, he was accommodated. That tells you something about his value to the Munster pack.
An absolute workhorse, Kleyn was head and shoulders above Kieran Treadwell and Joe McCarthy all season but it was not enough to seal his return.
Another lock who undoubtedly has high stock, Ross Molony has again been overlooked by the powers that be.
Like Kleyn, he benefits from, and regularly rewards, the lofty trust he receives from his coaching ticket at club level.
Still, there appears to be a glass ceiling stunting his rise to the next competitive level.
Leo Cullen and co have opted for Molony to start their Champions Cup final meetings with La Rochelle the last two seasons, linking up with talisman James Ryan in the engine room.
Their faith has seen Ryan Baird - a player who will play a major role for Ireland in France - reinvented as a blindside flanker and the younger McCarthy overlooked altogether.
Molony has forced his away ahead in the pecking order at the Blues but Farrell still sees things differently.
One of the strangest dynamics of the 42-man selection is the presence of just a single out-and-out openside flanker.
World Player of the Year Josh van der Flier was probably the first name in the entire selection, but otherwise this panel is looking pretty bare in terms of back-up.
Of course, Peter O'Mahony has donned the number seven shirt to great effect in the past but most punters would have him down as first-choice on the opposite flank.
Nick Timoney and Scott Penny are absent, while Will Connors injury woes have continued.
Surely John Hodnett has earned a crack? Try-scoring heroics in the URC final aside, Hodnett has been sensational for Munster all season and brings a livewire threat in the loose.
He has leapfrogged Alex Kendellen and Jack O'Donoghue to become a bona fide starter at Munster. His performance level has warranted it and yet he still deserves more.
Widely viewed as the most exciting backline threat at the beginning of the World Cup cycle, Larmour's status remains baffling.
Nobody in the country has footwork quite like him and he knows where the try-line is, but something has been somewhat amiss.
The fullback experiment failed, but Ireland lack established depth in the back three and his talent level is in the ballpark of starters James Lowe and Mack Hansen.
Lowe's late return to fitness saw him start ahead of Larmour against La Rochelle earlier this month, but the latter had quietly been a decent season in a blue shirt.
His unrivalled x-factor is a chore for rival players to contend with, although one can understand Farrell's decision to pick Calvin Nash ahead of him.
Event still, Jacob Stockdale finds himself in the reckoning despite falling considerably father than Larmour has in recent seasons. Larmour has every right to be perplexed.
Jimmy O'Brien's versatility was always going to stand him in good stead in terms of a place on the plane to France this autumn.
Adept at on the wing, in the centre and at fullback, the Kildare man is a real asset and looks destined to play back-up to Hugo Keenan during the tournament.
It is just a shame that room has also not been found for Mike Haley - a player who has been out in the international cold since the 'Faz' era began.
Munster fans are all too aware of the Englishman's value - there is nobody more assured in the backfield bar Keenan at the minute.
For two seasons now Haley has been a model on consistency and a key part of their ascent under Rowntree and Co.
A Duracell bunny of sorts, the former Sale Sharks man never tires and is incredibly reliable under the high ball.
