It was the perfect redemption. Exorcising the ghosts of previous failure to scale the highest highs.
David Humphreys just wanted another opportunity to right the wrongs. And he did just that.
In the space of 12 months the former Ulster out-half went from zero to hero playing for Ireland.
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Humphreys enjoyed a glittering career, winning 72 international caps and winning the European Cup and Celtic Cup with Ulster.
But when it came to test matches against France, Humphreys plunged the deepest depths before scaling the highest highs. All the space of 12 short months.
On January 30, 1999, Humphreys was riding on the crest of a wave after Ulster beat Colomiers in the European Cup final. One week later he sat in the same Lansdowne Road changing room nursing a devastating defeat to France after missing a late kick, his attempt shaving the right post.
Fast forward to 2000, and Humphreys was afforded another shot at glory against France - a chance of redemption following the agony of 1999.
This time he nailed a late conversion to seal a 27-25 win, and a first victory in Paris for 28 years.
Reflecting on 1999, Humphreys told BBC documentary 'Ireland's Rugby Number 10': "That week almost sums up sport, and how you can go from the highest point of your career in winning a European Cup with Ulster in Lansdowne Road, to the following week sitting in the same changing room, probably one of the lowest moments in my career.
"I missed three or four kicks that day, but one that stands out was one to give us the win, and it was a relatively easy kick.
"And to miss that, and being responsible for missing that kick and us losing the game...
"Even the best kickers in the world, or the best sportsmen in the world, have days where they're off. So it was a case of bouncing back, and knowing that one day in the future you would have another opportunity to win another game."
That opportunity came on March 19, 2000, and another showdown with France.
The game will be remembered for a young Brian O'Driscoll scoring a hat-trick of tries, but Humphreys exacted revenge with a late conversion to seal the two-point win.
"You couldn't have written the script any better," he added.
"Twelve months later, in a game that will always be remembered for Brian O'Driscoll's three tries.
"That was the opportunity you wanted. And obviously it was a much better feeling 12 months on, seeing the ball go through the posts and winning in Paris."
Centre O'Driscoll was a mere prospect in 2000, with his hat-trick of tries signalling the emergence of the then 21-year-old.
Despite his own sensational display in Paris, O'Driscoll said it was "cruel" that the plaudits didn't go to Humphreys that day.
"It is pretty cruel to think that David Humphreys had such an instrumental role in the victory in France in 2000, yet I got the vast majority of the plaudits," he said.
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