Lansdowne Road is bracing itself for a crunching Grand Slam showdown (2p.m.) between the two heavyweights of this season's Six Nations Championship.
Both Ireland and England arrived at IRFU headquarters boasting unbeaten records after winning their opening four games in this season's tournament.
Everything is at stake - Six Nations title, Grand Slam and Triple Crown - and a capacity 48,000 crowd intended relishing every minute.
Ireland's solitary previous clean sweep came 55 years ago in the days of Jackie Kyle and Karl Mullen, and despite home advantage, the bookies make Eddie O'Sullivan's side underdogs to take the spoils in a winner-takes-all encounter.
For England, it was their fourth final hurdle Grand Slam clash in five seasons under coach Clive Woodward. All three encounters were failed missions - against Wales (1999), Scotland (2000) and Ireland (2001) - and Woodward's players desperately wanted to end that sequence.
Ireland centre Kevin Maggs and England scrum-half Matt Dawson both win their 50th caps, while Martin Johnson captained England for the first time in a Grand Slam decider.
Conditions were perfect for a potentially classic match - dry and clear - although a slight breeze meant that rival goalkickers David Humphreys and Jonny Wilkinson would have to get their preparations spot-on.
Eddie O'Sullivan has described the decider as "an incredible opportunity" for his side.
"I am not a psychologist, I am a rugby coach but this is an incredible opportunity," O'Sullivan said yesterday. "It is something that we have created for ourselves - I am not into how England are perceiving it."
"The mood is bang-on, but there are butterflies in the tummy, more so than ever before."
Ireland survived a major scare against Wales in Cardiff last weekend before securing a 25-24 victory that kept them on course for the title, Grand Slam and Triple Crown.
"In some ways, the Wales game was like a semi-final. There were a lot of errors, but now, we are back in our own back yard," O'Sullivan added.
The atmosphere in Dublin has been building all week, and with England fans having arrived in their thousands over the past couple of days, a special atmosphere is guaranteed.
And such a memorable occasion is not lost on fledgling Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who has led his team to victories over Scotland, Italy, France and Wales this season.
"The atmosphere is totally different to anything that I have experienced before," he said. "It is a home game, but the general level of excitement is something I haven't previously experienced."