Ken Owens has no regrets about a Test career that will reach 50 caps on Saturday - and he almost told his Wales team-mates as much in song.
Tradition in the Wales camp means that any player clocking up a half-century must perform a post-match song.
And with Wales facing France in Paris this weekend, Scarlets hooker Owens thought he had made the perfect selection.
"I was going to try and be a little bit experimental about it and go for a bit of Edith Piaf and 'Non, je ne regrette rien'," Owens said.
"I downloaded it off iTunes, and then realised it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, so I canned that.
"I have got a couple of songs in the back pocket. I will decide on the night. It will depend how many beers I've had as well!"
If Wales beat France and RBS 6 Nations champions England defeat Ireland on Saturday, then Owens and company will secure a top-four world ranking ahead of May's 2019 World Cup pool draw in Japan.
And 30-year-old Owens will have played a major part in that achievement, delivering a number of outstanding performances that many believe have put him in pole position to become the British and Irish Lions' Test hooker in New Zealand this summer.
Owens, whose nickname is 'The Sheriff', has bossed it for Wales in the critical set-piece area, while also making his mark around the pitch.
"I am pretty happy," he added. "The set-piece has gone well, and it is just nice to have a consistent run of games starting (for Wales). I think that has helped me.
"I work hard and try to take my chances when they come, and thankfully, I am playing okay at the moment. I've just got to keep it going now.
"I am not doing a lot different to what I was doing before. Perhaps I am a lot more consistent at the moment.
"I like to think I am having a decent run. It is probably the best run of form I've had at international level from a starting point of view."
Although Owens reaches 50 caps on Saturday, only 19 of those have been starting appearances, yet he has now developed into Wales' premier hooker after waiting patiently for his opportunity.
"You do get frustrated, but you can't let it drag you down," he said. "You have got to keep plugging away, just keep trying to improve yourself.
"At the end of the day, it's much better to be involved in the (matchday) 23 than not being involved at all, whether that be with your region or with Wales.
"I will always push myself to want to start, and thankfully I have had my opportunity now. I have got to keep playing well because there are plenty of hookers in Wales playing well."
And Owens acknowledges that there can be no let-up in his standards, believing rugby is now a completely different game at the professional level from when he first started playing.
"It's still about the basics," he added. "If you can't throw and you can't scrummage, there is no point being on the field.
"But the role of hooker has perhaps also become an extra back-rower in one sense, with ball skills and carrying.
"From when I first started playing to now, the game is pretty much unrecognisable. There is a huge difference, and year on year it changes.
"As a player, you can't sit still.
"Things that perhaps you were good at two years ago, you have got to improve on, and improve in different areas to make sure you are moving with the game."
Source: PA
