KEY POINTS:
With England playing two tests against the All Blacks in June, it's fitting Martin Johnson has taken over as manager - the 38-year-old was the last man to lead the side to victory on New Zealand soil.
It could be argued that England's victory in Wellington five years
ago was not only the last time the All Blacks lost at home, it was the last genuine test played here outside the Tri Nations.
When England came back in 2004 for a two-test series, they were missing senior players who were injured. Or at least were said to be injured when maybe they just had severe cases of rugbyitis, a condition that descends at the end of a long club season when players realise how little they fancy a two-test dust-up against blokes who are well up for it.
In 2005 the Lions came out here missing most of the UK and Ireland's best players. That was nothing to do with rugbyitis but everything to do with coach Clive Woodward's inability to identify who was any good.
A year later and the All Black coaches took the unusual step of running two sides, leaving an eclectic bunch to take on Ireland and then of course there was last year - the annus horribilis for June tests.
The World Cup squeezed the calendar and forced the tests against France to be played on the first two Saturdays of June which clashed with the finals of the French Top 14 championship.
French coach Bernard Laporte ended up scouring local parks for players who came out here and took an almighty hammering that left test football, as a source of entertainment, some way behind watching paint dry.
2007 was the nadir - the point where rugby's boss men had to ask if they were in their jobs for the blazer and travel perks or whether they were there as protectors and promoters of the sport.
By the end of November, they had concluded their purpose was the latter and had reached agreement that all tests had to be fully respected. There could be no more mysterious outbreaks of rugbyitis. There could be no more experimenting for a World Cup three years away.
Test football was about the best playing the best and the promise was made that come June, the Northern Hemisphere would send their strongest squads Down Under.
So seven weeks out from the opening test of the year how likely is it that England and Ireland will honour their promise?
Johnson's appointment will help. His contract doesn't begin until July 1 and elite rugby director Rob Andrew will be in charge in New Zealand. But Johnson, while not officially on board, will have the final say on selections for the tests in Christchurch and Auckland.
The players know that and they know Johnson doesn't have a soft side. Those who front up will gain early credits; those who don't might never get another chance.
In a 10-year test career, he didn't once flinch. The essence of Johnson was snorting rage and an indefatigable will to win. He'll expect the same from others, which is why he's been given the job.
Born in Solihull, made in King Country - this is a guy drenched in the most worthy values of honesty, integrity and perseverance. His teams will most likely be cast in his own image and the Johnson era won't start on July 1, it will start on June 14 at AMI Stadium.
Johnson's former team-mate Will Greenwood, wrote in The Daily Telegraph: "Honesty will be the most precious commodity and there are no excuses for a substandard performance. Players will be under no illusions that they will be dropped if they do not measure up, and yet if they do what is asked of them they will have every chance to cement their role."
The expectation, then, is that England, genuine injuries withstanding, will come out here with the best players they can muster, desperate to put a stake in the ground that marks a more consistent and successful future.
Ireland, who will play the All Blacks on June 7 in Wellington, are at a similar juncture. They are in the process of appointing a new coach after Eddie O'Sullivan fell on his sword in March.
The resignation was greeted by a legion of dry eyes. He was neither loved nor hated - he'd just been at the helm long enough to have become white noise.
Ireland's performances and results in the last 12 months showed the players needed fresh ideas and O'Sullivan's disappearance is expected to lift the troops. to give them the sense they can make a fresh start; build a legacy befitting the most talented generation of players since the Triple Crowners of the early 1980s.
Declan Kidney of Munster is favoured to take over. In the short-term at least he'll benefit from a wave of enthusiasm.
The big names, Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell, Ronan O'Gara and David Wallace will all feel the need to impress the new man - show they are committed to the cause. There's no better way to do that than jump on a plane to New Zealand and empty the tank against the All Blacks.
