For all of his consistent excellence, Matt Todd has never been to a World Cup.
Well, that's not quite right. There was the curious case of him training against the All Blacks at the 2011 event after he happened to bring his boots to a holiday in Auckland when Richie McCaw couldn't train due to the pain in his broken foot.
Todd was unofficial cover for McCaw in case the skipper broke down completely. But it was all done on a hush hush basis because World Cup regulations meant while McCaw remained as a squad member Todd couldn't be officially welcomed or even stay in the same hotel; for him it was probably a bit like being invited to a party on the basis you entered through the back door and confined yourself to helping in the kitchen.
Now, though, after missing the World Cup in England and Wales four years ago, Todd is likely to get the red carpet treatment all the way on to the front end of the plane for the trip to Tokyo next month because, while Steve Hansen must cull four players from his current squad of 34 (allowing for the probable inclusion of currently injured Brodie Retallick), Todd, a 31-year-old who has never given up on his dream, is unlikely to be one of them.
He may lack a bit of size, and he was buffeted around at times when starting at openside flanker against the giant Springboks pack during the recent drawn test in Wellington, but Todd has the pace, durability and uncanny ability to make big interventions late in tests that will likely see him included in the final squad of 31.