Both Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland claim that Saturday's third Test between the Lions and All Blacks not define the international careers of any of their players - for better or worse.
But the two coaches make their argument from very different places.
The All Blacks, Hansen says, are still in the infancy of their post-2015 journey - when they lost the likes of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Ma'a Nonu.
A near-flawless 2016 Test campaign masked the fact that, at its core, the squad is still in a process of regeneration leading into the 2019 World Cup.
So win, lose or draw, the experience of an Eden Park cauldron against the northern hemisphere's best will only be beneficial - especially for Hansen's rookies like Jordie Barrett, Ngani Laumape and Anton Lienert-Brown.
"Is the Lions series hugely significant? Of course it is. It only happens once every 12 years," Hansen said on Thursday.
"Will it define this team? Will it define the people in this team? No - because there's a heck of a lot more of this story to be written.
"Just enjoy it and look forward to it."
For Gatland, the point is made a little more narrowly.
After Saturday, the 2017 Lions will cease to exist, and the players' performance in the third Test is unlikely to concern their respective home union bosses - Eddie Jones, Joe Schmidt, Gregor Townsend and Gatland himself.
There'll still be considerable pressure on the players to succeed - both camps acknowledge that openly - and it's something they have to embrace.
But future selections cannot be used as a carrot by Gatland. Instead, it's the chance to create their own slice of history that must drive the Lions.
Winless in a New Zealand Test series since 1971, Gatland and his 37 remaining men could enter the ranks of immortality with a win.
"There's no pressure on the players from a Lions perspective, because they go back to the luxury of their club side and unions," Gatland said.
"(And) I'm pretty happy with what I've achieved in my career. I'll probably finish up after the World Cup and go to the beach, maybe retire, enjoy myself.
"That's pressure about the match, but not about the future. They have an opportunity to leave a bit of a legacy, don't they?
"That'll build slowly over the next 48 hours or so, as it gets closer and the players start to realise what potentially could happen and how special that would be, winning a series in New Zealand, creating a legacy, history."
