Put aside the long, often fraught, history of All Blacks-Springboks tests, this is a contest for the soul of rugby. In the famous plaque at Rugby School it's noted that William Webb Ellis "first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the rugby game."
As the game has evolved since 1823 the ability to win without taking the ball in arms very much has become a grim reality. There was the worst World Cup final, in 2007 in Paris, when both South Africa and England seemed determined to avoid anything as frivolous as scoring a try, and both succeeded, the 15-6 scoreline to the Boks made up of seven penalties.
This year there's been the celebration of sporting mogadon that was the Boks-Lions series.
In Townsville, on a ground usually trodden by the North Queensland Cowboys league team, the All Blacks have two challenges. One is, with the possible return of the steel girder that is Sam Whitelock in the second row, to contest and win ball up front.
The second is to use the attacking skills of the likes of Sevu Reece, Richie Mo'unga, and Rieko Ioane to run lines, make breaks, so we can see what happens when a huge, and hugely effective, South African pack is made to race back to contest the ball.
At the first training camp for the 1995 World Cup, coach Laurie Mains and the whole team embraced a change suggested by the then uncapped Otago loose forward Josh Kronfeld, who questioned the idea of using runners one off the ruck to get in behind the opposition. "That's the safest option," he said, "but it's not the only one."
The new option, to basically run opposing teams off their feet, would lead to one of the great All Black campaigns at the Cup.
The Kronfeld way can be risky, but if that's how the All Blacks play in Townsville, and they succeed, the exhilaration levels would be off the scale.
Leading from the front
Picking Ardie Savea as captain, with two vice-captains, for next Sunday's test with Australia is an interesting choice, but, given that the leader's role in the All Blacks has changed a lot in last decade, from being the sole voice, to heading up a leadership group, it does follow one old-fashioned principle. The captain, strictly as a player, needs to be at the top of his game. It's hard for a leader to say "follow me" when he's lagging behind.
Since his return from injury Savea has quickly hit bursting, powerful, driving, dynamic form.
Okay, it is kind of arrogant
As someone who has always been amused by the England Rugby Union calling themselves The Rugby Union, and has made fun of the fact for decades, I guess it's time for a very belated mea culpa. Calling our southern hemisphere competition the Rugby Championship is just as bad.
Given that the title was dreamed up by Sanzaar, an organisation that's living proof a giraffe is a horse designed by a committee, we're perhaps fortunate it's not called The Quad Annual Competition For Whoever We Think Might Attract Some Television Dollars.
But really, given that the naming bar was never set very high when the competition began as the Tri Nations, what would be wrong with The Southern Championship?
If you're looking for inspiration
The Wheel Blacks didn't have a great Paralympics, failing to win a game, but as in every case with athletes now in Tokyo, the back stories, and the bravery, were off the scale.
How could anyone not love Barney Koneferenisi, who when just four months old in Samoa lost his right hand, and the tips of his fingers on his left hand, to meningitis. At 10 they had to amputate his left leg. At 13 his right leg. He's now a stunning athlete, so powerful and fast he really was to the Wheel Blacks what Jonah Lomu was to the '95 All Blacks.
As a person he's just as impressive. As an antidote to the rigours of lockdown, I'd urge you to watch a 25 minute documentary on Koneferenisi, a wonderfully uplifting reflection on the power of the human spirit.
