KEY POINTS:
By now Taranaki will be caught in the vice-like grip of test match fever.
The All Blacks' charm offensive will be in full swing. Babies will be getting kissed, autographed balls punted into crowds of swarming kids and mountain men will be swapping stories about how they bumped into Richie McCaw at the shopping mall and couldn't resist telling him he looked bigger on television.
But beyond the shadow of the mountain formally known as Egmont it's doubtful many people actually know an All Blacks test match will kick off in a little over 48 hours.
NZRU officials deny the build-up for the All Blacks' fifth match against Manu Samoa and first test appearance in New Plymouth has been intentionally low key.
They point out that the match was sold out in hours and say locals haven't been this excited since rumours circulated that John Deere was going to open a tractor theme park in the province.
But the reality is that this test match - for lack of a more suitable phrase - is flying so far under the radar on the national consciousness it could almost be the Otorohanga Fun Run. Or maybe an Air New Zealand Cup match.
In fairness, just how is the NZRU supposed to market a game between an All Blacks side that recently recaptured its world No 1 ranking and a Samoa side whose leading player will likely be Romi Ropati - he of Counties Manukau bench-warming fame?
"Tune in Wednesday night to watch the ritual slaughter of the friendly Pacific neighbour who was good enough to give our boys a run ahead of the real big show in 10 days' time"?
If Blues coach Pat Lam, the former Samoa captain, had still been running around, the headlines would have been obvious.
But with a weakened Samoa team lacking players even approaching the calibre of Lam, Brian Lima and Mike Umaga - to name a few stalwarts of what is a proud recent past - Wednesday is still very much a case of lambs to the slaughter.
The question for the All Blacks is whether such a step down in the quality of opponent is wise just 10 days out from their Tri-Nations showdown with Australia in Brisbane?
The steady diet of minnows they faced during pool play was, after all, fingered by the Tricker report as a significant factor in the All Blacks being underdone against France in their World Cup quarter-final meltdown.
Coach Graham Henry, though, believes any opponent is better than none, given the otherwise four-week gap between Brisbane on Saturday week and the 19-0 victory over South Africa in Cape Town.
It's certainly hard to argue with that logic, particularly given that Australia will have been further hardened by two clashes against the Springboks during that period.
But the fact remains that this is hardly an appealing fixture.
It might put some game time into the legs of the players who will face the Wallabies in Brisbane, but it certainly won't add any lustre to the All Blacks brand.
All it will do is demonstrate the gulf between the handful of top teams in international rugby and the next tier down, highlighting the fact that rugby is not the genuinely competitive global sport it so desperately wants to be.
And when a nation like Samoa can't even access its best players for one of the biggest matches in the country's recent history, it also underlines just what a mess the global international calendar is in.
That's why this test isn't being rammed down our throats. The NZRU has at last realised the public is an increasingly discerning beast.
