First-up, the All Blacks are looking for a series clean sweep against the French. Daniel Carter is back in the #10 jersey, and as well as Aaron Cruden played last week, Carter is still the incumbent. He has been hampered by injury somewhat this season, but he is still a tried and true world class player. With Piri Weepu inside Carter, and New Zealand's most experienced midfield combination of Nonu and Smith outside him, there is a really seasoned look about the All Black backline tonight.
But the big match tonight follows the All Black match. The British and Irish Lions take on Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in what should be an absolute cracker of a match.And there's a strong Kiwi connection to the match; not only are both sides coached by New Zealanders, but New Zealand referee Chris Pollock is officiating. The Herald profiles Pollock before his biggest test yet:
About four years ago, referee Chris Pollock got it. Something clicked. He knew his rulebook and had all the assurance to cope with the job.
However, he needed a few subtle tweaks to take his confidence to the next level. He did, and tonight's reward of controlling the opening clash between the Wallabies and the Lions in Brisbane is huge.
"I turned it around and am rapt," New Zealand's top ref said.
This is only Pollock's 12th test and at 41, he's taken his time to rise to the top. He explains that officials need games to become more proficient.
Others, like former five-eighths Glen Jackson, had a strong feeling for the sport because he had clocked up more than 10,000 playing hours.
Pollock was a phys ed teacher before he took up the whistle, and tonight will be part of an all-Kiwi headline cast as Robbie Deans' side squares off against Warren Gatland's tourists, with Vinny Munro in the TMO office.
Pollock altered his routine to fly to Brisbane early to meet his assistants Craig Joubert and Roman Poite, soak up the rugby fervour in the city and liaise with the opposing coaches.
"We will operate off the simple philosophy that if my assistants see something, then that's good enough for me," said Pollock. "We work on a simple process at scrums where we call a team colour that has infringed, then you penalise them and the assistant will tell you afterwards the reason so you get the flow right.
"Both teams want to play and that gives me the ability, if they set the platform, to just let them get on with it inside the rules I have given them."
The scrum will concentrate Pollock's attention and he has given his thoughts already to the coaches and will repeat them to the front rows before kickoff.
He watched the Lions game against the Waratahs, studied the computer packages referees use and was content with the Lions scrum and the way they had been ruled.
"The scrum is the most difficult area of the game to referee because it's so dynamic," said Pollock.
"There is so much going on there that you try and create some simple pictures you're looking for and if you can tick off decisions relating to those, you'll go with those decisions.
"If you can't, then you will err on the side of resetting. Both teams will put pressure on at the tackle ball because they will want that. It's easy if two teams want to play the same way and I hope to give them that access in return," said Pollock.
He spent six months out of the game last year because of trouble with his left hip. He had some bone shaved off his femur and holes drilled in it to try to stimulate cartilage growth and slow the beginnings of arthritis.
He hopes to still be going strong at the 2015 World Cup.
Pollock has risen to the top of the New Zealand refereeing ranks, but tonight will be yet another step up. Given that he will never referee an All Black test match, this is about as plum an appointment as he could get. We wish him every success.
It should be a top night of test match rugby tonight. We're tipping a comfortable win for New Zealand, and a less comfortable win for Warren Gatland's Lions side over Robbie Deans' Wallabies. Have we got it right?
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