Lee Stensness: A voyage into the unknown

Now that the Irish series is over, attention turns to the 'other' All Black team in Argentina preparing for next weekend's test match.

For those players, being in the 'other' All Black team must be an unusual experience, although it is becoming less so as the two-squad concept gathers currency.

However, what will certainly be an unusual, and indeed novel, experience is playing and touring in Argentina. It doesn't matter how brief the tour is as Argentina is certainly a culture shock, both on and off the field.

Of the starting 15 that flew out to Argentina last week there are only three players who have been there before.

In this era of more tests and easier travel, the novelty of it all must be welcome for players who play generally the same opposition in the same places time and time again.

Having toured Argentina with a New Zealand Development team in 1994, I can vouch for the fact that it will be a novel experience and a tough one too.

The passion that the Argentinians bring to the game, both players and supporters, make them a difficult opponent to subdue at home.

While the All Blacks will win, probably by a reasonably comfortable margin, they will know they have been in a test match, as the Welsh discovered last weekend, as they lost 27-25.

It was reported that after the game "Wales management had edited together a video of the alleged filth, including knees, kicks and punches."

I have similar recollections of the on-field hostilities when playing in Argentina. Off the field, the supporters can be equally as hostile, especially when the game is close and/or our players start to repay what they are receiving in terms of filth.

When we first arrived at a ground with cages over the players' tunnels and around the field, we wondered why they were needed. After the game, we were thankful they were there, although cages don't stop all projectiles or the spitting and they certainly don't dull the volume of the whistling.

The All Blacks are in Buenos Aires to win a test but, for most, the city itself may prove more memorable than the rugby. It might be another game of rugby but it is most definitely not just another city.

Buenos Aires is a sprawling megalopolis on a scale hard for a Kiwi to comprehend.

It has high-rise buildings as far as the smog will allow you to see and massive boulevards with 10 lanes of traffic running in each direction.

Other memorable features include steaks larger than the plate they are served on and senoritas with jeans one size smaller than the behinds that they contain.