As Ireland's cricketers embark on a month-long acclimatisation tour of Australia and New Zealand in preparation for that tournament, Torrens' bosses know they will soon have the unenviable task of trying to find a replacement - or more accurately a successor.
For it will be impossible to replace a man his players dubbed 'The Sir Alex Ferguson of cricket' after Ireland's unprecedented treble in 2013.
A larger-than-life character in every way, the 66-year-old has been the jovial yet dominant focal point of Ireland touring parties for the past decade, the logistics man who kept the wheels turning smoothly, the transport arriving on time, the kit clean and the players' needs met.
He ran a happy ship - occasionally oiled by deliveries of supplies that were not easy to access in far off parts - but also a tight ship, as any who stepped out of line would quickly discover.
In size and personality Big Roy would often dwarf his counterparts from the more established cricketing countries but opponents found him wonderful company and it should never be underestimated just how much he furthered the cause of Irish cricket, often over a Famous Grouse as anecdotes from his playing days were told amid gales of laughter.
Roy loves a story. His players know they only have to cheekily ask "Just how good were you, Roy?" to set in train a stream of wonderfully imaginative tales that somehow manage to combine both extravagance and self-deprecation.
"You see that young Ed Joyce," Torrens once remarked, "he reminds me a lot of myself at the same age - although I could bowl as well, of course."
A possibly more plausible claim is that the West Indies would only have scored 16 at Sion Mills in 1969 if he had not had to miss the game for work commitments. Torrens in those days was first-change seamer and the West Indies last pair added 13 of their total of 25 all out.
Robert 'Roy' Torrens played 30 times for Ireland as a seam bowler between 1966 and 1984, taking 77 wickets at an average of 25.66. His best bowling analysis in an Irish jersey was 7-40 versus Scotland at Ayr in 1974. Domestically, he played along with his brothers Ross and Norman in a very successful Brigade side which won many NW trophies, before finishing his career with Coleraine.
He served as a National selector, being Chairman for two seasons, before in 2000 becoming a very popular and successful President of the Irish Cricket Union. He then accepted the role as Chairman of the Cricket Committee, before becoming manager of the Ireland team in late 2004, ahead of the ICC Trophy which Ireland hosted in the summer of 2005.
"The late John Wright approached me to take over the reins from himself," said Torrens. "I asked him about what would be involved and his reply was that it would be 3-4 games a year, half a dozen at most, not a huge commitment. It turned out to be quite a few more than that.
"The job is unrecognisable now, with some years having 30, 40 or even 50 matches. To date I've been manager for 260 games, and that'll increase to around 280 by the time the World Cup finishes. As the team has progressed so the workload of the manager has progressed."
What are the happiest memories from all those games? "The World Cup wins against Pakistan and England immediately spring to mind. Those matches took Irish cricket to unprecedented levels. It's still hard to believe how far we've come in such a relatively short space of time, and who knows where we could be in another 10 years?"
To emphasise the changing nature of the Irish fixture list, his first match at the helm was against Loughborough in April 2005 when half centuries from Eoin Morgan, Dom Joyce and Peter Gillespie led Ireland to a convincing 163 run win - John Mooney is the sole survivor from that game in the current set-up.
By the end of 2005, Ireland had secured ODI status after finishing runners up to Scotland in the ICC Trophy final at Clontarf and, helped by an audacious declaration, had stunned Kenya in the InterContinental Cup final to claim their first global trophy - it wouldn't be the last.
Torrens was manager in 2006 when Ireland played their first ODI, a memorable occasion against England in front of 8000 fans at Stormont, claimed the European Championships, and also defeated Gloucestershire thanks to inspired spells from Kyle McCallan and Shahid Afridi.
"I always enjoyed the wins over the English counties," said Torrens. "They had a tendency to underestimate us without our county players. The win over Worcestershire in 2009 when Peter Connell took five wickets (including Moeen Ali first ball) as they were skittled for just 58 brought us a lot of satisfaction as their media had been rather disparaging in the run up to the game."
Ireland played 29 matches in 2007 including their first World Cup in the West Indies, which Torrens described as 'an incredible experience'. "Anyone who was there will never forget it. It was such an adventure and it really put Ireland on the global map. The tie with Zimbabwe, the win over Pakistan and the Super Eight win over Bangladesh all were so special."
Further InterContinental Cup successes followed, as well as victories in the European Championships and ICC Trophy in South Africa in 2009. Winning that competition meant another World Cup in the subcontinent in 2011.
"That tournament will always be remembered for the record breaking win against England. Kevin O'Brien's innings was really special and it was a privilege to be there. The Indian crowd really got behind us. It's become a feature when we play in tournaments that we're everybody's second favourite team. I expect that will be the case again next year Down Under."
Torrens has travelled all over the globe with the Irish team, with South Africa being his particular favourite. " Port Elizabeth was really special, and I loved being there. Jamaica had many happy memories and also Barbados and Bangalore. It hasn't been all plain sailing but I don't think I'll talk about the countries which weren't so pleasant - you'll have to wait for the autobiography!"
What changes have been the most prominent in his tenure? "Most definitely the commitment and the attitude of the players, and above all their exceptional fitness levels. I've no doubt that the players of my generation such as Ivan Anderson, Simon Corlett and Alec O'Riordan could all have been a success in county cricket, but these current guys have all done it. In fact, they're not only playing but also captaining sides and featuring prominently in the averages too."
There's a new respect for Irish cricket which was brought home to Torrens by the aggressive attitude adopted by Australia during their T20 World Cup encounter in Sri Lanka.
"The guys were all talking in the dressing room after the first innings about just how much aggro they'd taken from the Aussies who had sledged them mercilessly. I took that as a huge compliment in that they obviously were taking us as a serious threat who couldn't be taken lightly. The reputation of our team and the standing we have now in world cricket is particularly pleasing."
He's worked alongside four different head coaches during his involvement with the team - how did they compare? "Mike Hendrick was the first and it must have been incredibly frustrating for him as at the beginning the team were very much village in terms of their attitude and commitment.
"I brought him back to Malahide for the England game last year to show him just how far we'd come. I always use the analogy that Mike laid the railway tracks and Adi Birrell took the train down those tracks. He certainly was the catalyst for the revolution.
"Adi was an inspired choice as our coach. He was fantastic for Ireland but it's fair to say we were good for him too - it couldn’t have worked out much better for both after he came into the role as a relative unknown when he took over from Ken Rutherford in 2002.
"Simmo (Phil Simmons) then came in at what could have been a difficult time after the 2007 World Cup. He was helped by the fact that Adi allowed him to join the squad during the tournament and I know he really appreciated that. He's certainly grown into the role, and took it cannily the first year or so to get used to the people and the politics of Irish cricket. I suppose coming from Zimbabwe, it was a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire! He's a superb coach and his record of success and winning competitions has been relentless - he's a winner, full stop."
Which players brought the best out of his management skills? "Trent Johnston always set himself very high standards and led by example. Kyle McCallan and Andrew White were always good to have along. They kept me on my toes with their practical jokes, but it's kept me young being around the squad with all their energy and enthusiasm.
"That's what I'll miss most along with the camaraderie. I've got to know all the players and we're really like one big family.
"I won't miss the endless trips to hospitals and doctor visits, plus all the travelling through airports which can be stressful with all the excess luggage and ticket hassles."
What advice did he have for potential successors? "They've got to be a good listener. Players will come to you with a variety of problems and you're basically a sounding board and a confidante for them. You need to be approachable and a diplomat.
"I was fortunate in that I'd fulfilled a broad variety of roles in Irish cricket before becoming manager and that afforded me a certain respect from the players. I understood the pressure that the players were under because I'd experienced it myself at international level."
Published by kind permission of Barry Chambers
