The 32-year-old Ulsterman is likely to add to his 60 caps when Ireland kick off the RBS 6 Nations in Paris on February 14 and he has the opportunity to overtake Fergus Slattery and Willie-John McBride by the end of the championship and move into second place in the all-time list.

Humphreys, awarded the MBE in the New Year Honours, is in sight of the record of 69 caps held by Mike Gibson - and the irony is not lost on the metronomic fly-half, who is due to work alongside the Belfast-based solicitor when his rugby career comes to a close.

He hails the former British Lions centre as one of his boyhood heroes.

Hes been one of the big influences in my career; Ive got a lot to thank him for, said Humphreys, who is almost embarrassed to be the subject of such comparisons.

To be honest, collecting caps is not something Ive ever thought about. These days, caps come along quite quickly with substitutions and things. Its not something I set any credence by.

Humphreys, who made his debut against France in 1996, never dreamt he would still be playing at the top level eight years on.

He took up the game simply as a hobby but qualified as a solicitor just before rugby went professional in 1995 and decided to put his legal career on hold by taking up an offer to play with London Irish.

He is surprised at his own longevity but insists he has no thoughts about retirement just yet.

If youd asked me a few years ago I would have thought I would have stopped playing by now, he said.

But because Im still enjoying it, I havent put a timescale on it. My contract has some time to run yet - and while Im enjoying it, I will continue to keep on playing.

When you play rugby your ultimate goal is to play at international level, and Im no different to anybody else. While Im still a professional rugby player, thats what I want to do.

"When you lose that enjoyment its time to pack it in. But Im enjoying it now as much as I did, probably more so, than a few years ago.