KEY POINTS:
Former Lions contemporaries Graham Henry and Martin Johnson do battle tonight, two men not used to losing, one watching television coverage uncomfortably from somewhere in Leicestershire and the other trying to stay unflustered in the coach's box at Eden Park.
They left the Lions tour of Australia in
2001 dispirited because of the series loss and the controversial final test fallout when Austin Healy and Matt Dawson let off newspaper volleys about their displeasure with the coaching. Henry and Johnson tolerated each other professionally, but beyond that there was little warmth.
Their paths have rarely crossed since, certainly not professionally until tonight, and even this coaching conflict is distanced with Johnson on baby watch back home.
Maybe Dawson, out here as a BBC radio comments man, could deputise for Johnson but that would be like asking Henry and Robbie Deans to form a partnership. There is more chance of getting sense from caretaker England coach Rob Andrew even if he is guarded and wary of Jonno back home.
He too is under some scrutiny after the ditching of coach Brian Ashton post World Cup and was very guarded yesterday as he surveyed England's chances of taking out the All Blacks at home for the first time since 2003.
On that filthy Wellington night Henry was an observer while Johnson rolled up his sleeves as England captain and urged his team home.
The visitors were a dominant side then and come to this test as a beaten World Cup finalist while the All Blacks messed about and fell in the quarter-final.
Both sides are regrouping. England picking themselves up under Johnson's tutelage at 18,000km arm's length, while Henry is still dealing with the World Cup fallout.
There was plenty of chat from the coaches yesterday but not a lot of substance other than All Black news that fullback Mils Muliaina would be fit after a hamstring concern, a result which pushed Paul Williams out of a possible test debut from the bench.
What transpires is that neither side is especially confident, both are feeling their way back into international rugby. The All Blacks are relying on an all-purpose game backed by Daniel Carter's flair while England will try and crush the All Blacks up front, squeeze them then punish them with the boot.
Henry was upbeat about the challenge from the English pack and how he had gleaned a great deal of knowledge from former Wasps coach Craig Dowd and other unidentified spies on the English rugby circuit about the challenge from the pack and the astute running and kicking game from the backs.
There was confidence from Andrew but it is a belief which many teams at the fag end of their season have spoken about yet not translated on the field. England could make it count. If they are half as good as they think they are, they should give a modest All Black side a strong inquisition.
"There's no pressure on the England team at all. We have talked hard about what we want but there is no pressure," Andrew said. "It's a great opportunity for us to know about our guys. Nobody expects England to win. The guys inside our squad are very comfortable ... We have won here twice in 30 years and are massive underdogs."
Johnson's reaction to that sort of bunkum would be explosive. He was a real adversary, someone New Zealand admired and it would be unlikely he would be proffering such a line about being "massive underdogs".
England are a young side but they have plenty of experience in the Heineken Cup, the English premiership and other competitions. They are brought up on the drag'em in, knock'em down, scrap-for-everything mentality which Johnson admired.
The All Blacks are not the squad they were last season but they are the best (personal preferences aside) New Zealand has and have to approach this test with that steely attitude.
"Time will tell," coach Henry said when questioned on whether his side had moved on from the sagging World Cup fortunes. That had left many "gutted" but this test was a sellout and that support did not reflect what was being relayed through the media.
Skipper Richie McCaw said there was little problem getting into the zone each week. He wouldn't be thinking about the loss to England in 2003 or last year's World Cup. Leading the All Blacks meant showing how to play, there was no point yelling at his team if he wasn't performing himself.
Andrew said his side was ready, they hoped it would be the start of a new era.
"We have got over the last World Cup. I don't know that New Zealand have yet and we are looking at the next generation of England players. 2003 created problems for English rugby, the hangover of winning, and it appears New Zealand can't get over the hangover of losing it," he suggested.
He also opined that Wayne Barnes - the referee named this week by Ali Williams as the man responsible for the All Black's World Cup demise - was one of the best referees in the world and that if complaints about officials were allowed he would have won a Lions series here in 1993. That is some time ago. His mob might go close again but they will need more action than talk.
Eden Park, tonight 7.35
NEW ZEALAND
Mils Muliaina
Anthony Tuitavake
Conrad Smith
Ma'a Nonu
Sitiveni Sivivatu
Dan Carter
Andy Ellis
Jerome Kaino
Richie McCaw (c)
Rodney So'oialo
Ali Williams
Brad Thorn
Greg Somerville
Andrew Hore
Neemia Tialata
ENGLAND
Mike Brown
Topsy Ojo
Mike Tindall
Olly Barkley
David Strettle
Charlie Hodgson
R. Wigglesworth
Luke Narraway
Tom Rees
James Haskell
S. Borthwick (c)
Tom Palmer
Matt Stevens
Lee Mears
Andrew Sheridan
New Zealand: Keven Mealamu, John Schwalger, Anthony Boric, Sione Lauaki, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Leon MacDonald.
England: David Paice, Tim Payne, Ben Kay, Joe Worsley, Danny Care, Jamie Noon, Mathew Tait