With a Heineken Cup final medal under his belt London Wasps scrum half Eoin Reddan is off to Poland where Ireland continue their pre-World Cup conditioning programme in Spala.
Unlike his Wasps team-mates in the French and English squads, Reddan has been training at his club for the last fortnight, and will return there at the end of next week for further conditioning work before the Irish come together again in Limerick on July 29 for two warm up games against Scotland (Murrayfield, August 11) and Italy (Ravenhill, August 24) before departing for France on September 5.
For Reddan, the last two weeks have been about getting back down to basics after the excitement of the Heineken Cup Final, when he scored the first of Wasps' two tries at Twickenham.
Indeed, the end of last season became something of a try fest for the Limerick born No9, who notched up six tries in the final seven games of the 2006-7 season. But Reddan knows this all counts for little as a new season and the small matter of a World Cup tournament beckon.
"Things went well at the end of the season," he acknowledges, "and the last few games were great. It was unbelievable to win the Heineken Cup, and for me that was a fantastic end to a really enjoyable season. There was plenty of hard work along the way, but I think that just makes it more enjoyable and we grew closer as a team.
"But coming back here, the feeling is that last season was last season, and this season we start again. It's not a time for resting on our laurels, I think we all feel there's room for improvement and we are always looking to achieve more."
The trip to Spala next week will not be his first, as Wasps have also made regular use of the facility in recent seasons, so Reddan will know a little bit about what to expect.
"It is a phenomenal facility. I've only been once, but some of the Wasps lads have been seven or eight times. It's always tough out there, but the Irish squad are a good bunch of lads who are willing to working hard, though I am looking forward to having got the work done at the end of the week, relaxing and knowing that it's over!"
Reddan be in training at Wasps for another two weeks once he returns from Spala, and though this is very different to the approach of the English and French squads, it's an approach that the scrum half is comfortable with.
"The fitness staff at Wasps know me very well, and I think that's a key factor. It's good to work in my own environment, and training here allows me to work really hard as the guys know when to push me and when to stop me. Next week in Spala will be an intense week, but it will be a fresh environment and following that I can come back here to what I'm used to. I'm very happy with the set up that Ireland have got going into the World Cup, and I think it looks good."
Reddan hopes to be one of three scrum halves competing for the honour of wearing a green jersey in France, though he faces tough competition for the No9 spot from Ulster's Isaac Boss and experienced Munsterman Peter Stringer.
"I think it's always been a pretty close battle between the three scrum halves, and it still is. We are all very different players, and we have all performed well. It's great for Ireland to have that, and the team is full of quality throughout so it's all very positive."
Of course, there are three players and ultimately only one spot. Someone is going to be disappointed, but Reddan says the way you deal with that is an important factor.
"I think one of the keys to Ireland's recent success has been the mindset of the players. The squad does deal well with set backs, whether it be the team losing a game or individuals missing out on selection. There's a real feeling that if you're not picked, you deal with it positively. I've always got on well with Eddie O'Sullivan and I think he's always been very fair with me. Whatever he decides, I will get on with it."