Ireland make the trip to Murrayfield today bidding to keep their Grand Slam ambitions alive.
And while there's a Six Nations title also in the mix there’s no doubt where Andy Farrell’s side have their sights set.
They face an opponent that they have beaten in the last seven meetings and in 19 of 23 Six Nations encounters.
With a home game against a ramshackle England to come next Saturday, the number one ranked side in the world will feel this is their time.
Scotland, too, have skin in this game too. And plenty of it.
The hosts can wrap up a first Triple Crown since 1990 if they win and that would also put them in the championship melting pot with a home tie against Italy to come in round five.
Full-back Stuart Hogg will win his 100th Scotland cap and Murrayfield is sure to be filled with an expectant home crowd.
This time, however, the expectancy has a bit more meat on the bone: their fine win in Twickenham was backed up by a thrashing of Wales.
They’ll feel disappointed to have left Paris with nothing after being right in the mix until the death and having outplayed the French for long spells.
A settled pack is supported by a cohesive backline where centres Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu and wing Duhan van der Merwe are top of their games, and being ably marshalled by Ben White and Finn Russell.
The out-half, who is famed for his mixed-bag outings, had most carries (45), offloads (6) and try-assists (4) in the tournament coming into round four.
SCOTLAND v IRELAND: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
Scotland will be without the suspended Grant Gilchrist but for the most part their house is in good order, especially compared to recent years.
They also know defeat will put them out of the race so motivation will not be an issue.
Gregor Townsend makes two changes to the side that lost 32-21 to France with Jonny Gray replacing Gilchrist and Jack Dempsey starting at No 8.
For once, Scotland’s problem is not so much Scotland, it’s Ireland. And it’s not an easy one to solve.
"What's more important is what we’re doing just now and what we’ve learned since the summer, since last year’s Six Nations when obviously one of those games was against Ireland," said Townsend.
"What we’ve put in place since then is more important than how we’ve played against Ireland in the past. We will look at Ireland and what they’ve done in their past few games, stretching back to the New Zealand Tests.
"You do look back at games you play against them but we know what they are about. They are very well coached, the contact area is massive for them.
"They go through a lot of phases and can stretch the opposition and they have an attack shape driven by Johnny Sexton which is all set up to find a weakness, so we have to be together and alive in defence."
For this mission, the visitors have received an infusion of 186 international caps in the shape of Sexton and Tadhg Furlong, while Garry Ringose (starting) and Robbie Henshaw (replacement) bring reassurance to the midfield, with Bundee Aki back in his preferred 12 role.
Conor Murray is the horse for this course, Farrell has decided and one can imagine that if the weather forecast (cold, wet and windy) proves to be accurate then his kicking prowess and defensive bulk will be invaluable.
Ringrose’s return from a calf issue that kept him out of the 34-20 win over Italy shores up the Irish defence, his threat-awareness and linespeed was noticeably absent in Rome.
While Furlong hasn't been sorely missed his comeback couldn't have been timed much better, with Finlay Bealham ruled out through injury.
Ireland have an incredible disciplinary record in the tournament since losing Bundee Aki (red) and Conor Murray (yellow) to cards in the last game of the 2021 renewal.
Since then they’ve gone eight games without seeing a card of any hue, while opponents in that time have received five yellows and two reds. They have adjusted better than any team to the clampdown on high shots.
But more than ever this Irish team looks equipped to deal with set-backs.
"Adversity is never going to stop," said Farrell on Friday.
"I remember going to Murrayfield [in 2017] and being stuck behind the bagpipes and all sorts of things happening on the pitch, it’s all part of the occasion, isn’t it.
"You’ve got to embrace all that and relish it, that’s what top-level sport is about."
Farrell, in total, has made six personnel changes to the team that beat the Azzurri, with Dan Sheehan and Peter O’Mahony restored to hooker and blindside, respectively.
It's arguable that, except for Tadhg Beirne who is a regular starter, this is the strongest match-day panel that Farrell could put out.
The visitors have won 10 of their last 11 in the competition and six in a row, each time scoring four or more tries, which is a championship record.
It’s not that Ireland can’t lose this match, it’s that it’s hard to imagine, with all the reinforcements they have been able to call upon and the experiences of the past year, that they fall off enough to allow the Scots to win.
But these games tend to be tight, and seven of the last eight meetings here have been decided by one-score margins.
England's shockingly poor performance yesterday evening against France means it’s harder not to think about a famous day in Dublin next Saturday so slipping up here is simply not an option.
Verdict: Ireland
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