Tom Croft pulls on a British & Irish Lions shirt today citing former Leicester Tigers prop Matt Hampson as a huge inspiration.
The 27-year-old Croft starts at blindside flanker against Western Force on his second Lions tour after making his debut in South Africa in 2009.
But it is a tour he never expected to be on following a horrific injury at Harlequins 13 months ago, when he left the Stoop on a stretcher and requiring lengthy and delicate surgery to the top of his spine.
There were plenty of dark days on his comeback, but it was Hampson's attitude at battling back from a career-ending injury of his own that inspired Croft to keep fighting hard.
Croft broke his neck in three places and burst a disc when he mistimed a routine tackle on Quins' Nick Easter.
He was operated on the following day by leading spinal surgeon Peter Hamlyn, who had to go in through the back of Croft's neck to compress the nerves and through the front to reconstruct the vertebrae.
In a complex procedure, Croft had the "crazy paving" removed, a bone graft taken from his hip and a metal plate, cage and screws inserted into his neck.
Hamlyn later told Croft he had beaten the odds – he had come as close as was possible to being paralysed by an injury which could have killed him.
His recovery has been nothing short of remarkable.
"When I got injured, I was just hoping to get back and playing, and I was very fortunate to be involved at the end of the Six Nations," said Croft.
"My train of thought was getting on to the England tour of Argentina. That would have been a massive bonus and a highlight for me, so being included in the Lions squad has far surpassed that.
"Hambo has helped. He is one of the most upbeat characters there is, especially with what has happened to him.
"It would very easy for him to become a recluse but he is out there doing things for the foundation, and it gave me that little bit of hope that, if anything did happen, it was not the be all and end all.
"You play a contact sport so there is potential for things to happen, a very small percentage. But Hambo has come through it and achieved massive things. It gives you that hope."
Croft starred for the 2009 Lions in South Africa, scoring two tries in the first Test as the tourists mounted a comeback against South Africa and then produced a performance of even greater stature a week later in Pretoria.
It was a career-defining tour and Australia offers him the chance to take his game to even greater heights.
Croft put on five kilograms during his time out injured and he has returned stronger but, as Harlequins discovered in the Aviva Premiership semi-final, he has lost none of his electric pace.
"Playing for the Lions has been the highlight of my career so far," said Croft.
"I was very happy with the way that tour went but it's not just about trying to recreate that, for me it's about moving on from that.
"I think it is impossible to recreate that Lions form exactly. So I have to bring the best of that into my game, as well as everything else I am doing."
Western Force: Christie; Haylett-Petty, Stubbs, Tuatara-Morrison, C Brown; Norton-Knight, Sheehan; Manu, Hilterbrand, Ma'afu, Lynn, Battye, Cottrell, Hodgson (capt), R Brown. Reps: Roach, Kolo, Metcher, Matwijow, McCaffrey, Mathewson, Haining, Rasolea.
Lions: Halfpenny; Bowe, O'Driscoll, Tuilagi, North; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best, Cole, A-W Jones, Evans, Croft, O'Brien, Heaslip. Reps: T Youngs, Vunipola, Stevens, Parling, Faletau, B Youngs, Farrell, Maitland.
