Wood missed 12 internationals due to what were career-threatening neck and shoulder injuries and, even though Ireland won 10 of those matches, his return is a timely tonic.

“He’s a world-class hooker but he’s also a brilliant captain,” says coach Eddie O’Sullivan, who has been able to select his star player in just four of the 21 matches in his charge.

“He’s like a talisman for the team. The good thing is they have done well without him so it does prove there is more to the team than one or two players.

“Having said that, we’d certainly like to have him back for the World Cup because of his contribution both on and off the field.”

Wood’s gung-ho displays have endeared him to rugby fans around the world ever since he made his international debut on Ireland’s tour to Australia in June 1994.

Four years later his international standing soared with two brilliant performances for the Lions as they pulled off a memorable Test series victory in South Africa and in 2001 he was named international player of the year after scoring Ireland’s crucial try that famously ruined England’s Grand Slam hopes.

Son of former Ireland hooker Gordon, who toured with the Lions to Australia and Canada in 1959, Keith quickly overtook his father’s Irish total of 29 caps and went past Tom Kiernan’s record of 24 Tests as captain in 2001.

The genial Irishman won his 50th Ireland cap – becoming only the 11th person ever to achieve the feat – against New Zealand in June 2002 but then came his injury nightmare.

He played in only one of Ireland’s Six Nations matches in 2002 and then aggravated a neck injury in September’s World Cup qualifier against Russia in Siberia.

His attempted comeback for Harlequins last December brought further agony as he inflicted yet more damage to a shoulder that first began to cause him problems as far back as 1995.

But Wood’s injury woes paled into insignificance compared to the personal tragedy that turned 2002 into an annus horribilis.

His brother Gordon died of a heart attack at the age of 41, two days before Keith was due to lead Ireland against Romania, and he missed the birth of his first child, Alexander, after being delayed on his return from the funeral.

Then, two months later, his mother Pauline died on the morning of the Dublin international against Argentina.

“In a lot of ways being injured helped me on the grieving side of things,” he reflects. “You could say I was happy enough to see the back of 2002.”

Wood recently announced his retirement from club rugby and is now looking after his family back in his native Ireland and developing his own public relations company.

But he is anxiously awaiting one last crack at the big time and rugby does not come much bigger than the World Cup, especially in Australia, where it all began for him internationally nine years ago.

Wood went on Ireland’s three-Test summer tour as a non-playing member of the squad but, according to O’Sullivan, was almost ready to make his comeback by the last week and his mere presence had an uplifting affect on the rest of the players.

“It was great for everyone to see him back around the place,” says scrum-half Peter Stringer. “He’s a great leader.

“He’s excellent at bringing guys along and introducing them to new things, making them feel very welcome.”

The Limerick man is nothing but honest, however, and he would not contemplate a return if he was not confident of reproducing the Keith Wood of old.

“The point for me now is that I want to make certain I can get back and play properly,” he says.

“I would have been fairly gung ho in the past. I would probably have said ‘I’ll be fine, I’ll play through it’. But that’s not really an option anymore.

“Unless I can play to the top of my game, there’s no real point in playing at all. Playing with an injury may have been acceptable when we didn’t have a good team.

“But it’s definitely not acceptable anymore because you have to be certain that there are 15 players on the field who can go through a wall.”

Come the World Cup, Ireland’s players know that Keith Wood will not only be leading them to the wall but that he will be the first to smash it to smithereens.