There is no evidence that Leigh Halfpenny held both arms aloft in triumph. None whatsoever. And it was only a very short jog.
But after completing it the Wales and Scarlets full-back could have been forgiven for channelling his inner Rocky and celebrating as the famed Hollywood boxing character did in film after ascending the 72 stone steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Make no mistake, Halfpenny is heading in the right direction again after his gruesome injury of a year ago. A short video posted on Instagram shows him running once more — at a gentle pace, maybe, but definitely running.
Read more: England rugby fans mocked in TV advert ahead of Australia Test series
Accompanying the images and a picture are a few words, with Halfpenny saying: “Running into the weekend like…Great to get the boots back on.”
Fellow players queued up to wish him well.
George North, who spent a year on the sidelines himself because of injury until returning before the end of the regular season, led the way by saying: “Yes buddy!” Ex-Wales team-mate Cory Hill chipped in with more of the same, while there were emoji-driven well-wishes from Scott Williams, Johnny McNicholl and Tom James.
The optimistic theme contrasts sharply with the mood almost exactly 12 months ago when Halfpenny suffered an awful knee injury while playing his 100th game of Test rugby. It was meant to be a joyous occasion, but fate refused to play ball in the Wales v Canada match and within a minute of the game starting the home No. 15 lay on the Principality Stadium turf in agony. He had damaged ligaments so badly there were even whispers immediately after that he might decide enough was enough and call time on his playing career.
But it didn’t take long for such thoughts to be set aside.
Within days Halfpenny had taken to social media to confirm he had indeed sustained a knee problem and one that required surgery, adding: “Hard to put into words how I’m feeling right now. Tough one to take, especially on such a proud day for myself and my family. Whilst it’s a setback, I look forward to overcoming this challenge and making a return to the game I love as soon as possible. I’ve got a lot more I want to achieve and having come back from a similar situation before I’ve every confidence I’ll be back out there.”
Fair play. Only a player can know how challenging a long-haul injury is to overcome — dealing with the pain, the apprehension and the uncertainty of not knowing if things will ever be the same again.
But Halfpenny has stuck at it and the Instagram images suggest he is clearly on the mend. The hope might be that some time this autumn a playing return might be on the cards, but no one is saying as much as coming back after time out isn’t a precise science.
But all journeys start with a single step, and Halfpenny will just be delighted to be up and running again.
He needs four more caps to complete a century for his country. Just maybe, he will also be targeting a third World Cup after appearing in the 2011 and 2019 tournaments. It would be some achievement if he did make the global bash in France in 2023, when he would be knocking on the door of his 35th birthday. Never say never.
But for the moment it’s one step at a time and not looking too far ahead. Oh, and marking significant landmarks. That's definitely allowed.
