Josh van der Flier was an excited kid in the crowd the last time Ireland won the Triple Crown on Lansdowne Road.
The year was 2004, Scotland were the visitors and van der Flier was a wide-eyed 10-year-old rugby fanatic.
"We’d been to a few games before that, me and my dad," said the Wicklow man. "I can’t remember how often we went but we went a few times when I was younger.
"I remember being on my Dad’s shoulders in Lansdowne because I couldn’t see. I had to be small enough if I was on his shoulders.
"And then I was at that game against Scotland for the Triple Crown in 2004, I would have been 11...no, 10, I was born in April '93!
"It was incredible. I still remember it so well. I suppose when you're that age, you're just bewildered by the whole thing, really any game you go to.
"I remember going to school games and when I was a first year, going to the Wesley senior games and thinking they're just the most amazing things ever, and obviously international games were even more so.
"So yeah, it was pretty cool."
Van der Flier gets his own shot at history on Saturday, some 19 years on from that special memory, and Scotland will again provide the opposition.
Technically the Leinster flanker was a part of Ireland's Grand Slam winning effort in 2018, but he suffered an ACL injury in the first half of the first game, the famous last-gasp win in Paris.
So, like for many of Andy Farrell's charges, this weekend marks his first shot at silverware at this level.
"Yeah, it would be incredible," van der Flier acknowledged. "We spoke about it throughout the tournament, these opportunities don't come by so often.
"Am I right in saying 2004 was the last time we won a trophy at home? So yeah, it's incredibly special to be a part of that.
"I've been very fortunate with Leinster to be on the field when we've won trophies, but to do it for Ireland would be absolutely incredible.
"In my head, I guess, I'm trying not to think about it, I'm trying to think more about getting a good performance and that's a by-product of it."
Van der Flier has topped off his superb form of the last year in this year's Six Nations, producing a string of excellent performances, including at Twickenham last Saturday.
He has played the full 80 minutes in all four games to date, but insists there is no fatigue factor.
"It's probably a bit easier in many ways because with Leinster, say, you're playing URC games and you could be 10 months away from the end of your goals or from the prospect of silverware, but we've only got five games here," he reasoned.
"I'd say as it's gone on there's been a great buzz, all the way along, but definitely with the prospect of silverware and finishing off the Six Nations on a high by trying to put in a big performance and right a few wrongs, there's a good buzz around the place."
The Scots have gone about their work quietly amidst all the Triple Crown talk and will hope to spoil the party, as they did 12 years ago at Croke Park.
Van der Flier predicts another tough breakdown battle, given the quality of the Scotland back row and he name-checks Rory Darge, Lions veteran Hamish Watson, Zander Fagerson and Magnus Bradbury.
"It's important from our attack perspective that we’re not giving them those opportunities in the breakdown, and then in defence to make sure we're not giving them that momentum because they're good at offloads, they're good carriers of the ball once they get a bit of momentum.
"So it will definitely be a big focus of ours to try and limit their effect."
Meanwhile, van der Flier insists that habits can prevent Ireland from seeing red in the tackle as the championship reaches it's final day.
In the last two rounds of the Six Nations, Ireland have played against teams that had a player sent off for a high challenge - against Italy at the Aviva Stadium, and against England at Twickenham last weekend, when Charlie Ewels caught James Ryan head to head.
"It comes down to - and we’d speak about it a lot as a team - the habits you create," said the Ireland flanker.
" If you have a habit in training of tackling high and you never really address it, then when you're not really thinking in a game it can just happen because you’re not thinking or you could be too pumped up - you’re not exactly focused or concentrating properly
"Yeah, there are certainly times where you need to restrain yourself. There are situations where you're so desperate to get the ball back.
"Being a rugby player, you expect professional players to control yourself and stick to the technique that you practice and have good habits in that area.
"I think it comes down to that. I can’t think of many tackles where I have seen someone intentionally going about trying to tackle someone high.
"It’s just about maybe not having such a focus on maybe taking a risk and going that bit higher."
Van der Flier stressed there was no intent in Ewels' second minute tackle last Saturday. The Bath lock was hit with a suspension at a disciplinary hearing yesterday.
"It was a very unfortunate one," the Blues back row said. "I'd imagine no-one is trying to hit someone with their own head.
"Certainly we’ve spoken about it in here, you do what you can so you don’t leave those up to the ref because obviously the ref has a responsibility to keep people safe.
"The ball carrier is trying to evade you or try something and if you put yourself in a position, you put yourself at risk. Certainly we’ve spoken about it in the last two seasons in Leinster and Ireland, it's working on our technique and not getting in those positions where it could happen.
"If you have good technique you can still get unlucky. If you’re slightly careless you can lead to things like that.
"It’s an unfortunate one, for James especially, definitely I’d say tackle technique is the main thing to take from it."
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
