KEY POINTS:
"Welcome to f****** Ireland" was the comment directed at me as the door swung open at Shannon Airport. Then the November mist hit me straight in the face and I chuckled.
Comparing what I have seen thus far is easy - drive from Clinton to Invercargill. But
when the first age old castle passes by then it clear this is not Southland.
Limerick is a picture of rugby insanity, the All Black type. Jonah Lomu was brought in to turn on the Christmas lights and apparently Bono is going to game, which means the circus is pretty much complete - something that struck fear and loathing into every credit card holding adult in the city.
A stroll along O'Connell left little doubt that this Irish mist was indeed the real thing.
They are expecting a helicopter to deliver the game ball tomorrow. They are expecting a haka too. Maybe even two, which seems, if nothing else, bizarre. I thought that it was a game between New Zealand and Munster not the Munster Kapa Haka XV.
Anyway nothing, other than the Welsh singing en mass, could better the response from Croke Park last weekend to Kapo O Pango. It was unusual - but it worked.
Like in New Zealand there's a gap developing between the people and the rugby.
European Cup games are over priced and under-deliver in terms of entertainment, plus there's empty seats until the fair-weather fans appear for the 'big' games. Plus your normal Munster fan can barely carry the cost of going.
Indeed the game tomorrow never went on sale publicly, it's been moved through the clubs and corporate members.
The Celtic League is where they find the opportunity to support this team. Professional Rugby has it's political tentacles wrapped around the throat of the game here as well.
Still the buzz is in the air and the All Blacks, past and present, are here to witness the burial.
I am excited for Scott Waldrom, who isn't? He's in the team and by this time tomorrow he will be All Black 1085.
Less than two months ago when I was driving him to the airport in Wellington, he thought that there was no chance he'd make the trip. There was furious banter about his form, much of which he was embarrassed by, but no one could deny at the time that he was on 'form'.
Still he dare not think he could make it.
Josh Kronfeld, Michael Jones, Kenny Stewart, Graham Mourie, Richie McCaw - Scott Waldrom.
There are a few positions that define New Zealand Rugby on any field and openside flanker is one of them. In our way, the seven is the one that carries the expectation of the team to get the ball, come hell or high-water.
I can tell you firsthand that Scott Waldrom never thought he was going to be an All Black, but he always believed that he would be an All Black
And there's the difference.
All the pain from the foot injury, the waiting on the Hurricanes bench, the life draining tours with the New Zealand Seven's team. It's a damn long way from the No 1 changing room at Fraser Park.
So perhaps that's what the difference is. Belief.
Scott Waldrom always believed he would be an All Black. Photo / Getty Images
