As the Ireland Women looked to see out a hard-earned win over Japan, head coach Scott Bemand sent on Beth Buttimer for the final 18 minutes at Dexcom Stadium.
Her entry onto the pitch was accompanied by lusty roars of support from her family, friends, and the many UL Bohemian and Munster team-mates who had travelled to see the young hooker's debut in green.
Even though she only turned 21 last month, the Clonmel native has been steadily progressed towards a first Test cap since coming through the Ireland age-grade pathways to be a regular in senior camp.
Her experience of training and being a travelling reserve throughout both the 2025 and 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations, and last year's Rugby World Cup, certainly stood to her and primed her for the occasion.
Reflecting on the day's events in Galway, she said: "I know I'm quite young, but yeah, there were times where this probably felt a long way away.
"Kind of been in the set-up now for two years, and it's incredibly satisfying now to get it (the first cap).
"You probably heard from the media, I was saying I had 17 or 18 'TRs' (times as a travelling reserve). I know that seems like a lot, but Scott told me yesterday I'm 150% ready.
"Scott doesn't want us coming into the team and getting 'pity' caps, like you really earn them. So yeah, it's good."
Buttimer could hardly have put her hand up for selection any higher after her irresistable form during the recent Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship when she helped Munster to retain the title.
The Tipperary youngster finished as the tournament's top points and try scorers thanks to her eight-try haul, which included six against arch rivals Leinster, and also won two player-of-the-match awards.
As well as her intimate knowledge of Ireland matchdays, Dexcom Stadium is very familiar territory as she played there four times, for both the Clovers and Munster, over the past six months.
"I know the day inside out. Like 18 times, so I just get to put on the jersey this time.
"It's good, I was saying during the week that I was delighted to make my debut in the Dexcom.
"I played here only a month ago during the Interpros, so very easy, like, warm-up process and match day process.
"I felt confident. There were no new things for me. It was all familiar, so that made it smooth, alright."
The Buttimer family have very close ties with Clonmel Rugby Club - dad Fergal has served as their director of rugby and now PRO, mum Suzanne takes care of the club shop as well as being the club choir's musical director, and Henry, Beth's slightly older brother, is entering his third season as club captain.
Indeed, before turning out to support his sister on Sunday, the previous day saw Henry presented with a special cap of his own - to mark his 50th Energia All-Ireland League appearance - following their opening win at Monkstown.
Beth is the first Clonmel RFC member to play senior international rugby for Ireland since Dave Foley in 2014, and interestingly, Foley also proudly represented UL Bohemian RFC during his club career like the front row starlet.
Buttimer's love for Bohs, the club she joined having first played in Rockwell College and with Fethard & District RFC, runs deep. You can see that every time she plays for them, and it was no surprise to see numerous Red Robins in the Clan Stand.
"I got a video there last night (Saturday), a five-minute long video of probably every Bohs player congratulating me and saying how delighted they are for me.
"So yeah, it was great, and hearing them all shouting (during the game). There was a big Bohs flag up there in the stand.
"Oh, the support has been unreal. Yeah, it means a lot. They're my family, and I know where I come from."
The Limerick club are understandably hugely proud of all their players who earn provincial and international honours, and there were celebrations too for Eilís Cahill's first Test start, and a second cap for Jane Clohessy off the bench.
Replacing Neve Jones just after the hour mark, Buttimer's own cameo performance saw her make five tackles and get a decent carry in, along with her set-piece duties.
She had a nervy few minutes on the sidelines as she waited to come on alongside prop Sadhbh McGrath, but an immediate scrum was an ideal welcome to Test rugby.
"They kind of called me about five minutes too early, I think, so I was actually coming over and back, and they were like, 'You can't go out yet, it's coming around'," she explained.
"So, I was just kind of getting a bit nervous standing there, but yeah, it was brilliant to hear the roar when I came on.
"That kind of drove me on, running on with Sadhbh. The first input was a scrum, so just kind of knowing my job and what I need to do and focus on.
"Kind of after the set on that scrum, I was into it then, and yeah, it's just rugby at the end of the day."
Buttimer is the second new cap introduced during the Vodafone Ireland WXV Series, and just like Jemima Adams Verling the previous week, she had solid foundations to build on from her time in the Women's National Talent Squad (WNTS), and her experience of the Ireland Under-18 and Under-20 programmes.
She also got some more international rugby under her belt last May, scoring a brace of tries on her Ireland U-21 debut against England. Niamh Briggs' side went on to complete a Six Nations Women's U-21 Series clean sweep.
Munster's Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2023/24, her development has been accelerated by joining the IRFU's centralised Women's High Performance Programme, with this her second season on a full-time national contract.
The talented lineout thrower's Ireland senior team-mates were almost as happy as she was when she found out about her selection for the Japan game.
Their joy typified how supportive and connected the national camp is, and they were clearly delighted to see Buttimer's patience rewarded in the form of jersey number 16.
While seeing her family afterwards nearly tipped her over the edge in terms of the emotion of it all, she was able to gather herself for a memorable rendition of her speciality, 'Horse Outside' by the Rubberbandits, as her first cap song.
Music is deeply rooted in the Buttimer family. Beth herself has performed with her brother Adam, an accomplished tubist who has played with the National Symphony Orchestra, and their mother Suzanne is director of Rockwell Music Academy in Cahir.
Speaking about the wave of support she has felt from her team-mates in recent days, she added: "It's unreal. They are sisters to me and we're such a tight-knit group.
"I've always wanted to be a really good team-mate for the girls, and they are that for me as well.
"It was great when I found out (that I would be involved) during the week. Having all my team-mates really just be happy for me, and actually properly happy for me. It means a lot, yeah."
