The All Blacks' act of diplomacy is over as the World Cup beckons.
Hold on, hold on - time out.
Let's take a couple of steps back from a relatively significant All Blacks pre-trial match in Apia, Samoa, to revisit some home truths.
No, this isn't a gloating exercise on the history-making Highlanders victory last Saturday but to put a few things in perspective.
Firstly, the Otago franchise thoroughly deserved their maiden Super Rugby crown.
The Hurricanes didn't lose it. Frankly, it didn't seem like they were ever in the game.
If the hosts fleetingly looked like living up to the bookmakers' billing of favourites at the Cake Tin then it was only because the Highlanders sporadically let them back into the game through unforced errors.
Secondly, the tinkered Super Rugby format this year of home franchises playing against each other more often and not playing some in the other two countries is flawed and smacks of an NCEA mentality.
Like transtasman netball, a yawning disparity in teams' ability is exposed and one has to wonder if that is an objective yardstick on who should make the playoffs.
But my preoccupation isn't with the nuances of a tri-nation competition or any public relations exercises in Apia or Suva when Fiji host the Maori All Blacks on Saturday afternoon.
Hey, the ABs' visit to the Polynesian island nation was long overdue even though the test, minus Highlanders, Canes and first-choice test players, was nothing but a pre-trial match building towards the England-hosted Rugby World Cup about 10 weeks away.
Have Dan Carter, Israel Dagg and Keven Mealamu come through with a clean bill of health before coach Steven Hansen's cull of an overly generous 49-man muster following some bone-jarring tackles?
Carter didn't feel obligated to travel to Fiji as a Crusader earlier this year but no doubt must have been compelled to jet to Apia.
"I've never been to Samoa before," he said on TV during a street procession, no doubt broadening his horizon before his physical and mental appraisal in his last attempt to make it to the business end of the code's pinnacle tournament.
Did George Moala, Sonny Bill Williams, Charles Piatau, Andy Ellis, Luke Romano and the likes have what it takes to push their way into the mix?
Ditto Maori ABs Elliot Dixon, who may also have another shot against the NZ Barbarians on Saturday, July 18, in Auckland.
You see, the sceptical will pass off the Apia test as an opportunity for Hansen to play his loyalty cards against a second-tier nation side whose players come together on short notice from around the world.
On the flip side, others will see it as an opportune time for Shag and Co to gauge the hunger of those who didn't have much Super Rugby time.
Well, there's nothing wrong with either approach.
But what can we make of those who are already pencilled in for the defending World Cup champions?
The Super Rugby final left some harsh realities the ABs stable cannot overlook before tests against the Pumas, Springboks and Wallabies.
The obvious one is the state of mind of winger Julian Savea, pivot Beauden Barrett, hooker Dane Coles and winger Nehe Milner-Skudder.
Mindful that he had an imposing newcomer Waisake Naholo to contend with, Savea laid bare his mental frailties on a high-octane platform.
Savea tried to assert himself physically towards the end of the game but that didn't come off too well either for a bloke who has yet to score a try against the Boks.
Did Canes coach Chris Boyd inject Barrett into the final too early after an injury break?
Three consecutive penalty-kick misses perhaps point more to a bout of stage fright.
How good was Marty Banks considering his cameo effort will be swept away in the euphoria of victory?
To come off the bench to dictate terms, not just kick a dropped goal, in a tense finish requires mental fortitude.
It is easy to relegate the Super final to history but I argue it's a much better snapshot than a red herring in Apia.
The prudent will have dismissed any fanciful thoughts of Manu Samoa winning yesterday. The Tauranga punter who put $70,000 on the All Blacks to beat Samoa at $1.04 (returning $72,800) minutes before kick off would have certainly had a flutter in the 25-16 result.
Besides, had the islanders done the unthinkable everyone knows the ABs, with Ritchie McCaw's ceremonial presence as captain to lend credence to a historic occasion, was nothing more than a mid-week touring team. Maybe Kieran Read should have assumed the mantle of leadership and McCaw rested.
Yesterday's concussion, black eye and bruises aside, the more important test will be the mental maze that the Four Nations can offer.
Watch: The Herald spent a year in camp with a top NZ football club – catch all the drama.