Like most Irish rugby supporters, Josh van der Flier had a mix of emotions watching Scotland's demolition of France last weekend.
Ireland’s slim hopes of winning the championship were on the line going into that game at Murrayfield.
A win for France last Saturday would – barring a miracle – have given them the championship, while a bonus-point victory would have officially sealed it.
As the Scots raced out to a remarkable 47-14 lead inside 63 minutes, it became apparent that Ireland would make it to the final round with their championship hopes still intact.
And then came the realisation that this Scottish side, who were tearing the French apart, were coming to Dublin next.
"It was a funny one alright, because obviously for the tournament, it obviously helped us that Scotland would win," Van der Flier said, as he recalled watching the 50-40 Scotland win on Saturday.
That result puts even more on the line for this Saturday's Triple Crown decider at Aviva Stadium, with both sides still hoping to pip France to the title.
"And then you're kind of thinking, we have to play against them as well, as good as they played. So it's probably a mix in that way.
"I thought Scotland were brilliant. France, I'm sure they would have been disappointed with some areas of their game but I thought Scotland were very good.
"They deserved the win. They played really well throughout the tournament so it’ll be a big challenge this weekend.
"They're on top form, best form. I’ve seen them be good in parts [previously] but they've consistently been very good. So it'll be a big challenge."
Every time these sides meet, Ireland’s dominant record in the fixture is referenced, with 11 wins in a row dating back to 2017.
Van der Flier had a famous role to play in one of the most memorable wins in that period back in 2023, when Ireland won 22-7 at Murrayfield in the penultimate game of their Grand Slam campaign.
Having already lost Iain Henderson and Dan Sheehan to first-half injuries, Ireland lost their second hooker Rónan Kelleher to injury shortly after, leaving Cian Healy packing down at hooker for scrums, and Van der Flier throwing into the lineout.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that again," he laughed, when reminded of the chaos of that game.
"I'd obviously practised it a bit here and there, so I'd always try and tip away, but you always hope you don't have to use it because obviously means we're in a bit of bother if you do."
Ireland had been 8-7 ahead at that stage, but incredibly dominated the rest of the game for a memorable 22-7 win.
Van der Flier was playing the last time Ireland lost to Scotland back in 2017, but he’s also featured in eight of the 11 consecutive wins Ireland have had in the fixture.
So why is it that Ireland have had Scotland’s number so consistently in recent years?
"It's very hard to know," he replied.
"A lot of the games I've been involved in, we've played particularly well. There's been a lot of close games in there as well. But for whatever reason, we've managed to put in some pretty good performances. And I think from the games I've been involved in, the forwards have performed pretty well when we've gone well.
"Obviously Scotland are playing really well at the moment, playing brilliant, brilliant stuff. But whenever we've done well, we've put in a pretty all-round performance.
"I can't remember us beating Scotland very often when we haven't played well over the years. So it'll definitely take a big performance.
"We're by no means expecting a win or anything like that. We're prepared for a tough game, and we know it'll be a big challenge, and we'll try perform at our best. I think that's probably the big focus. We've so much respect for them, really."
Follow a live blog on Ireland v Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday from 2.10pm on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport. Listen to commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
