2018 has been extraordinary for Irish rugby, but it ends with a couple of anxieties for what follows.
Robbie Henshaw will miss the start of the tournament with the hamstring injury he picked up before kick-off against Argentina last month, and now Ulster second-row Iain Henderson will likely miss the competition having undergone surgery on a thumb injury. He is expected to be out for 3 months.
Per the Belfast Telegraph, Henderson has decided to have the surgery now so as to be available for the run-in to Ulster's season and, vitally, the World Cup in 2019.
He will miss some huge games, however, including the final two games in Ulster's Champions Cup pool and most - if not all - of Ireland's Six Nations campaign.
He may be fit to return for the final two games of the campaign, against France and Wales.
Henderson has been a regular under Joe Schmidt, but the performances of James Ryan and Devin Toner against the All Blacks means he is not a guaranteed starter. Ireland have further depth in that position too, with Munster's Tadhg Beirne.
