Brian O'Driscoll says he never lost confidence Ireland would keep their Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam bid alive against Scotland last Sunday, even when the script went against them at the start of the second half.
In an attritional first 40 minutes, Ireland lost Caelan Doris, Iain Henderson and Dan Sheehan to injury, while Sheehan's replacement Rónan Kelleher also had to depart for a shoulder injury early in the second half.
Ireland were 8-7 in front by that stage, but with Josh van der Flier throwing into the lineout, and Cian Healy coming in to pack down at hooker for the first time in his professional career, it looked like Andy Farrell's side would have to endure a nervous final 35 minutes if they were to keep their Grand Slam bid going all the way to Round 5.
In the end, Ireland looked relatively comfortable at both scrum and lineout, with James Lowe and Jack Conan adding tries to give Ireland a 22-7 lead, which they comfortably saw out in the final 15 minutes.
"I was texting one of the boys I would have played with, we were texting throughout the game, and I still felt confident," O'Driscoll says of the chaos early in the second half.
"Defensively, we had looked pretty solid, even when we got busted once or twice, our scramble was pretty good, and I thought we were creating a lot of chances for ourselves.
"I really wasn't panicking. I said 'I still think this will be a 12-point game', and it was 15 in the end. There's something about this team that just inspires confidence in what they're doing."
And the former Ireland captain says he's grown to expect this team will be comfortable in chaos.
"They create so many chances, and there's total comfort in what they're trying to do. It feels like there's no panic. If you look back at the Italian game, and not kicking those points, it's a different mentality they work with, where it's, 'Fine, there will be more chances coming. Even if we don't score off this one, relax'.
"Maybe some of us that have baggage and carry less positive memories than they do, look and see the game slightly differently.
"It does feel as though, watching the game back again, they really had Scotland on the rack a lot, and Scotland should have scored one more try, but we're very controlled, very comfortable, and even when Josh went in at hooker, and they missed a couple of lineouts, they went to the same lineout, and just got into their multi-phase which is where they excel at the moment."
While Ireland have picked up four wins from four, and three of those with a bonus-point, it's been far from smooth sailing for Farrell's side in the championship, who have had to deal with an extensive injury list over the last seven weeks.
And O'Driscoll says the nature of how they've overcome those obstacles bodes well for the World Cup later this year.
"That's the really great thing that's come out of the Scotland game, the situation you'll encounter at some point in the World Cup, and it's how you deal with it.
"Andy Farrell talked early on in the competition about missing certain guys and thriving at the prospect of being without them, and was excited about it, knowing what's necessary at the World Cup to go seven weeks on the bounce again, probably five really good opposition [teams] in a row.
"I think that's another aspect they've added, that there's no panic, we're still capable of doing a really good job irrespective of what personnel come in.
A win on Saturday would mark Ireland's first Grand Slam on home soil since 1948, and is also set to be the final Six Nations game played by Johnny Sexton, who will retire after the World Cup.
O'Driscoll says it would be a fitting achievement for the Ireland captain to sign off with a fourth championship success.
"I think Johnny's last competitive game in the Aviva, it would be a reward that he would be more than worthy of, considering what he's done for this team, and for Leinster for as many years as he has done. The development of the team under his captaincy in the last three or four years has been significant.
"It would be brilliant for him to get to do that first of all, and then to do it at home. I know Ravenhill in '48, that's where they won that Grand Slam, we had to win away from home in 2009 and '18, the modern-day public and support, to be able to see it in the Aviva and for the team to be there in front of their families and all of their friends would make it all the more special.
"There's no disappointing Grand Slam, we'll put it that way, but to get to win one at home, I never experienced it, but I imagine it's another level again."
Win or lose on Saturday, attention will quickly turn to the World Cup later this year, which Ireland will enter as one of the favourites, looking to join England's 2003 vintage as the only northern hemisphere winners.
That English side warmed up for the tournament by winning a Six Nations Grand Slam, hammering Ireland at Lansdowne Road in a title decider.
O'Driscoll believes Ireland have a lot to achieve before they can consider themselves up there with the England of 20 years ago, but says they're forging a similar path.
"I'm always reticent to compare like with like because they went on to win the World Cup and I guess we don't know what will happen later in the year, but it does feel as though they've achieved similar things.
"They went and won in New Zealand that summer before the World Cup. They had been very close to winning Grand Slams in the years preceding 03, so it does feel as though the cycle of where those teams are at, six months out for a World Cup, seems very close.
"But Ireland still have to get the job done against England, and it's not a foregone conclusion, albeit they'll be strong favourite."
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