Yet the Irish Examiner columnist and broadcaster, who received the warmest round of applause at last Tuesday night’s 2019 Munster Rugby Awards in Limerick and a standing ovation at the University Concert Hall as he collected his well-deserved honour after a lifetime of service to rugby, spoke eloquently about a playing career well spent.

It is a career well charted but one worthy of recapping again. Capped 52 times by Ireland between 1981 and 1992, the Cork Constitution second row won two Triple Crowns and three Five Nations championships, captaining the national team 17 times. He toured with the British & Irish Lions and then served as the tourists’ manager in 2001, having also been Ireland team manager from 1998 to 2000.

What is less certain, however, is the number of times Lenihan donned the red jersey of Munster.

On a night when three Munster players in their 20s - Andrew Conway, JJ Hanrahan and Andrew Conway - were rightly lauded for reaching a century of appearances for the province this season and Billy Holland’s double century was also recognised, the best any statistician could manage, according to Lenihan, was that he at least passed 50.

“I was listening with interest when Rory Scannell was talking about getting 100 caps at 25 years of age,” he told Matt Cooper during an on-stage interview. “I think I played for Munster for 12 years and someone thought it was over 50 (Munster caps) but nobody had a clue. So 50 caps in 12 years, but it was great.”

Of the trio of current players reaching 100 caps, each had a different story to tell about getting to that notable milestone in the current campaign.

“Six years now,” said Conway, whose century was notched against his home province of Leinster at Aviva Stadium last October.

I probably had a tough first year coming down, trying to impress the lads, playing with a few injuries and it didn’t go great for rugby or for anything else really. I’d say I was under the pump going into the second year but I got my head right and luckily got into the team and started playing a bit better rugby and here I am today.

Of the 100th appearance, Ireland wing/full-back Conway, 27, said: “We lost, so it wasn’t the best. I was actually surprised how emotional I was reaching the 100. It’s obviously a big number and not something I’d really thought of but once it creeps up on you it’s pretty special, so I was delighted.”

Fly-half Hanrahan’s 100 came up earlier this month in Italy with a starring role in the PRO14 victory over Benetton in Treviso. Now 26, the Kerry native’s appearances have been split either side of a two-year spell at Northampton Saints from 2015-17. It proved a difficult time in England but, Hanrahan said: “It definitely proved to me what I love about Munster. When I was away I got probably six months into the contract and realised how much it means when you wear a jersey when you’re representing your family, particularly representing Kerry, because not many players come from that area. So every time you put on a jersey with Munster you carry that with you.

“There’s never a day when you need motivation because it comes very easy. It sounds a bit cheesy but I think any man from Munster who plays for Munster will understand that.”

Of Munster’s 15 centurions, Cork inside centre and fly-half Scannell is the youngest, reaching the landmark at just 25 in March against Scarlets.

“Hopefully quite a few more,” Scannell said, before joking: “JJ said to me he would probably have been the youngest if he hadn’t taken a two-year sabbatical!

“It was nice to get the 100 and hopefully many more to come.”

Reflecting on what it takes to play 100 games of professional rugby for the same team in an age of big squads, player rotation and the injury toll an increasingly physical game can inflict on an individual, Scannell considered himself fortunate to have reached the milestone as quickly as he had, having made his Munster debut in November 2014.

“It probably came a bit quicker than I had anticipated. I’ve been pretty fortunate thus far with injuries, thank God. Last year a few of our centres got long-term injuries, Jaco (Taute) was out, Chris (Farrell), Dan Goggin had a few injuries last year, so myself and Sammy (Arnold) ended up playing quite a lot.

Luckily for me, I’ve been fit for the last few seasons so it came thick and fast and hopefully I can stay fit.

Just to put manners on the three 20-something century makers, Holland’s achievement this season in reaching 200 Munster caps at the age of 33, the 10th in the province to do so, offered some perspective for Scannell.

“It’s massive. He’s had a tough couple of years starting off behind some quality internationals but he’s a pretty stubborn guy, as the lads know, and he’s stuck at it and … 200 professional games is very impressive.

“He gave a good speech on my 100th game saying he’d never forget his 100th (at Connacht in 2015) either because he lost as well.”