It remains to be seen where all this captaincy business is taking Brian O'Driscoll, but to the easy life it is certainly not. There he was, the skipper who had just led Ireland to their first victory for seven generations over Australia and who was about to be granted that reward as rare as an Irish snake - a rest - when along came that old favourite, the 'spate of injuries'. And back into the starting line-up he goes. Australia one week, Fiji the next.
I hear you say that this hardly compares with England's schedule. That this is not particularly taxing for a player as consummately gifted as O'Driscoll. Compared with the physical toll and the mental expenditure of an Australian encounter, this will be light relief.
The trouble is that Ireland don't go in for light relief any more. For the players, the order of the day - and night - of Australia was: 'Just another game to be ticked off, heads down and on to the next one.' It is the universal mantra with the World Cup less than a year away.
The last thing a side with serious aspirations can afford to do is take any game lightly. Fiji fancied their chances against Wales last week, on the condition that their discipline held together. It didn't and we - but not half as much as the Fijians - were all rather deflated . But they cannot perform as badly again. Under coach Mac McAllion they have aspirations of their own. So, according to the old adage, beware the bruised pride of a proud bruiser. Or, um, a good side does not lose twice on the bounce.
These are the psycho-baubles that O'Driscoll's Walkman will be telling him as he eases his feet back into their boots. To concentrate his mind more precisely he might turn his thoughts to Vili Satala, who will be a bit of a handful in the centre opposite him. Satala is such a quiet bloke off the field that he ummed and aahed his way into a bit of a pickle. His club employers, Harlequins, were under the impression that their new signing from Mont-de-Marsan was done with international football, while his country assumed he would like nothing better than to tour with them.
The upshot was that Satala missed the Wales game but will play against Ireland. Alongside, or just in front of, his old mucker from Mont-de-Marsan and, perhaps with greater recognition, the world sevens circuit, Waisale Serevi. Serevi at full-back and Satala add that certain something to a Fijian backline that rarely threatened the Welsh defence with anything other than routine head-on one-on-ones.
But Ireland will still win. They have a few tricksters of their own. Geordan Murphy is back, as inventive a footballer as there is to be found anywhere. And they have O'Driscoll. In fact, they are not far off discovering that infinitely elusive balance between fantasy and control, between swarming and moving their chess pieces with calculated care.
Ach, we've said this before... but there is something about the Irish game at the moment. And if ever they truly find the formula, then this Irish team could go a frighteningly long way in the World Cup, towards which we are all advancing with mantras at full volume. Those are the mantras that include the verse: 'Don't mention the World Cup. Just get your feet off the sofa, Brian, and play for today.'
Ireland: Murphy; Horgan, O'Driscoll (capt), Maggs, Bishop; Humphreys, Easterby; Horan, Sheahan, Hayes, Cullen, O'Kelly, Quinlan, Dawson, Foley.
Fiji: Serevi; Lasagavibau, Satala, Bai, Ligairi; Little, Rauluni; Nyholt, Smith (capt), Cavubati, Naevo, Raiwalui, Mocelutu, Doviverata, Koyamaibole.
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