KEY POINTS:
At last, a five-star, full-blown test match to assess where this All Black team is in World Cup year.
Forget all the rubbish about rest, rotation, France C and Canada. This match against the Springboks is shaping as the real deal.
South Africa appear to have come right
just in time for the World Cup and are high on confidence.
Hometown advantage will be important to the Boks, and they will be a real challenge for the All Blacks, who haven't found too much success in the Republic in recent times.
Nobody is saying it directly but the winner will definitely gain a mental advantage going into the World Cup in September-October.
Just as Nick Farr-Jones has stressed the importance for the Wallabies to get up against the All Blacks in their Tri-Nations matches, the same now applies to the Boks.
I will be very interested watching what tactics the All Blacks use in Durban early on Sunday.
Much has been made of the high-speed game, spreading the ball across the pitch and attempting to run South Africa off their feet - allied with denying their forwards lineouts and the physical confrontation they relish. Already the Springbok management have been quoted as endorsing this style, almost goading and challenging the All Blacks to play razzle-dazzle rugby - and get mowed down by the Boks' kamikaze rushing defence.
I don't think the All Blacks will be sucked into this type of game and expect more tactical kicking than we have seen against France and Canada.
Kicks just in behind the defence and high up-and-unders to test South Africa's fullback Percy Montgomery will give the All Blacks some targets.
It may also serve a double purpose of catching the Boks behind their advantage line.
The All Blacks may not fancy too many lineouts, given the Springboks' prowess, but I will be disappointed if the All Black scrum does not dominate its opposite numbers.
The return of the ageless loosehead Os du Randt will make South Africa's scrum stronger.
However, the All Blacks' inclusion of Anton Oliver makes me think Graham Henry's men have targeted the scrum as an attacking weapon.
I no longer have any problem with Keven Mealamu's ability at scrum-time - but I like Oliver's bulk and combination with his tighthead prop Carl Hayman.
Let's see these guys bash the Boks at the scrum for 40 minutes - and then let the mobile, dynamic Mealamu explode for the second half.
All the talk is that the lineouts will be an issue but, hopefully, the All Blacks will keep things simple.
For starters, don't throw the ball anywhere near Victor Matfield, their jumping ace, and utilise No 8 Rodney So'oialo and flanker Jerry Collins as options.
On this point, it will be interesting to see how South Africa cope without John Smit's leadership and how it affects Matfield's game.
Yes, Matfield captained the Bulls to the Super 14 title this year but this is test rugby. Pressure can do strange things to players.
Daniel Carter will be targeted but I have no doubt he is smart enough to stay out of trouble and this should create opportunities for Aaron Mauger to skip through the rushing defence.
Mauger and fullback Mils Muliaina should be used to take the pressure off Carter regarding tactical kicking and offer a couple of options with the boot.
As Conrad Smith is still unavailable, Isaia Toeava gets another chance to prove he can handle the higher tempo of test rugby.
What better way to measure that than against this South African team?
If I were Henry and his selection colleague Wayne Smith, I would tell the kid to make a few breaks, make some big defensive hits, listen to Mauger and talk a bit to Joe Rokocoko and friends out wide.
Dropped ball should not be mentioned before the kick-off.
The phoney war is over - it's our best against theirs.
No more posturing just some direct rugby. Can't wait.
