While the current Ireland squad contains a healthy core of players from the 2018 Grand Slam success, for many of Andy Farrell's squad who will line out against Scotland, this is unfamiliar terrain.
In the pack, Dan Sheehan, Rónan Kelleher and Caelan Doris arrived long after the title success of five years ago, while the knee injury suffered by Josh van der Flier in the opening round of 2018 against France saw him miss out on end of that campaign.
Across the backline, there are plenty of frontliners who are yet to taste Six Nations glory, with Craig Casey and Mack Hansen relatively new to the international scene, and although Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan have all won big silverware at Leinster, a Grand Slam run-in is another step up entirely.
With every game Ireland win - eight in a row for those counting - the expectation and pressure rises accordingly, especially for a side who are yet to get their hands on a major trophy under Andy Farrell.
But for Johnny Sexton, who is looking to cap off his final Six Nations appearances with a fourth title and second slam, the pressure only makes the journey better.
"It's about embracing it, it’s about realising that it’s not always like this," the Ireland captain says, ahead of this Sunday's Guinness Six Nations meeting with the Scots at Murrayfield (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
And the out-half (below) says this side don't need to look too far into the past to be reminded of the tough days.
"Going back a couple of years, we’d lost our first two games and we were fighting for a bit of respect, a bit of pride, whatever. So it’s not always like this, you’ve got to cherish it. Where else would you rather be? Would you rather be fourth and playing for nothing?
"It’s where we want to be. You can’t get away from that so it’s just about driving home process, driving home performance, driving home the things that matter.
"We’ve got to go and play well. That’s the most important thing. The weather could be like it is today, cold and wet. That is something that we haven’t faced yet, and we need to be able to show that we can win in those conditions as well."
The Ireland skipper has spoken honestly about embracing pressure in this campaign, revealing after the opening round win against Wales that he was as nervous as he had ever been before the game.
And with Ireland standing two wins away from just a fourth Grand Slam in their history, he says it's healthy to be feeling the butterflies in the stomach.
"Pressure is pressure. It's been there for the last 10, 15 years in various forms. This is a good pressure.
"You’ve one shot, you want to do well. But at the same time it’s not about me, it’s about the team and building and trying to do something that we set out to do. That’s ultimately what it’s about."
"It comes in different forms. If you’re playing badly you’ve got pressure in that regard. You’re coming back from injury, you’re fighting for your place, there are loads of different forms of pressure.
"But this is about achieving. This is the pressure that you want, and we’ve had it loads of times. I think the good thing about this group is we’ve had big games before we haven’t won, we’ve had big games over the last few years where we have won.
"I suppose we know what it takes, and it’s about whether we can go out and deliver on that."
Sexton is expected to return at out-half for Sunday's game at Murrayfield, where he's never lost in the Six Nations in four previous visits.
The Leinster 10 missed Ireland's win against Italy in Rome a fortnight ago after suffering a groin injury in the round 2 win against France.
And despite going four weeks without a game, he feels he has more than enough muscle memory from his 111 previous caps to help him fit seamlessly back into the action.
"Nothing ever comes close to Test match rugby. But look, I'll be ready come Sunday"
"I think what you learn is, you have to prepare well, you have to train well, you have to try and put yourself into game situations to taking training seriously, even your kicking practice and stuff like that.
"Making sure you’ve got a real focus to it. I suppose the thing that you don’t get to replicate is the intensity but you try and train hard and make sure you’re as well prepared.
"But nothing ever comes close to Test match rugby. But look, I’ll be ready come Sunday. Like you said, I’ve had longer breaks.
"Luckily I’ve had a couple of games under my belt since the face injury, so yeah, it’s not ideal, but it is what it is."
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