Ross Ford celebrated his big-stage revival by insisting Scotland can be Six Nations champions for the first time.
The Murrayfield men haven’t enjoyed the taste of championship glory since Italy joined the fray at the start of the century.
But Edinburgh star Ford reckons the miserable trend could come to an end under new coach Vern Cotter.
And on a personal level, he is thrilled to be back in peak form after his Test future had looked in danger of hitting the buffers.
Buoyed by the autumn series victories over Argentina and Tonga, along with the near miss against the world champion All Blacks, Ford declared: “It is quite possible we could win the Six Nations there is no reason why we can’t.
“Everyone in the squad is improving and we just need to keep pushing each other.
“Things didn’t click for us in the last tournament earlier this year. I don’t think it was down to a shortage of confidence.
“It was a momentum situation. You need it to be successful in sport and we just couldn’t get going at all. But that’s all in the past, the last three games have been good and we need to continue that work.”
Ford admitted his own form has surged since Cotter took the helm.
He has earned rave reviews for the accuracy of his line-out throwing which is such a crucial part of top grade rugby.
He added: “I have really enjoyed the autumn matches and it is probably the best I have performed for a while.
“Structures are in place and that creates opportunities for people across the board. If we all work hard for each other, everybody gets the chance to shine.”
Ford also praised the contribution of the Gray brothers Jonny and Richie in the sideline set-piece.
He said: “Jonny is calling well and we’re keeping it pretty simple, which makes my job much easier.
“We’ve got good jumpers and lifters and it’s worked well in this campaign. Jonny and Richie are easy targets to hit.”
Ford was backed up by Edinburgh colleague Tim Visser, who made his Scotland comeback against the Tongans at Kilmarnock.
The winger said: “It’s great to see youngsters with confidence playing the game in the right way. They are fresh blood not just coming through and wanting to learn but drive the team forward.
“Everyone is mobile, everyone is getting around creating real opportunities and tiring teams out.
“The way we are playing is something we haven’t done for a long time.
“It’s certainly the best team I’ve played in and there is a completely different feeling even from the summer tour.”