Ireland v Fiji: ‘Unique’ Cian Healy set for place in Irish rugby record books

While Porter has played on both the loose and the tight for Ireland, Healy has the distinction of having appeared right across the front-row, having been pressed into emergency action at hooker against Scotland in the Six Nations of 2023.

Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty still marvels at how he held his own in a new position at Murrayfield.

“The day we played against Scotland I’m in panic mode, because the two hookers go down and we’re asking Cian to go into hooker, not knowing what’s going to happen.

“But he’s clear in his mind he’s going to be competitive.

“To step into an international rugby game as a hooker, it says so much about him – we got two scrum penalties that day.”

Fogarty calls Healy “unique” for possessing the physical attributes to succeed on either side of the scrum even at international level.

“He has an ability at loose-head to get to a really good hip height so he can launch into tight-heads, but he’s got the overall strength and the hip strength as a tight-head that means he can stay in a good strong position to put pressure on a loose-head.

“He’s got a range of abilities but what connects them is his mentality.

“He’s an exceptional guy, isn’t he? His mindset, his mentality, is different to the majority. He’s an incredible competitor and that sets him apart.”

“Unique” is Porter’s choice of adjective too, although in this case referring to Healy’s character, while both he and Fogarty agree further on the fact that, even at 37-years-old, there are a few more caps to come.

“He’s definitely a unique character,” Porter added.

“He’s a huge asset to both Leinster and Ireland and he’ll continue to be, it’s not his last game.

“He’s a great fella and it’s great to be able to share the day with him. Hopefully he can push that on and add a few more to it.”