On the face of it, this All Black tour of France is just like any other.
There is, of course, rather more than the usual incentive to win this time, but there is nothing too surprising about that.
The French have humiliated us before and revenge has always been that much more gratifying. This particular tour has, however, another dimension to it which makes it much more significant because, for the first time, it marks a merging of the twin images of war and sport, arguably the two most influential forces in the evolution of New Zealand's sense of self.
It is a measure of the cordiality in our relations with France that this visit can be built around events marking Armistice Day on November 11.
Not since 1924 have the All Blacks consciously associated themselves with the monumental conflicts in which so many New Zealand players were shown the ultimate red card. From the heroics of the South African war onward the All Black story is permanently punctuated with the interruptions caused by other people's arguments and our willingness to go to help sort them out.
War and sport; sport and war. The two are inextricable. They are the only means by which a nation can pit itself physically against another and they have been New Zealand's dominant means of expressing itself abroad for over a century.
Even while wars were being fought, the thoughts of New Zealand soldiers would readily turn to footy and many a fierce exchange with balls rather than bullets took place next to the killing fields - in the Boer War and in both world wars in Europe and the Pacific.
As global wars became harder to come by, the theatres of conflict shifted to the sports field. All Black teams in the post-war period were deeply conscious of this transition and the language of the coaches and managers was lifted from the soldiers' lexicon.
An All Black tour was another expeditionary force and the enemy had to be beaten, no matter what the cost.
Things have changed, naturally enough, but today's players, whether they sense it or not, are the contemporary equivalent of the old soldiers.
Rugby has, in its own way, created an interesting bond between New Zealand and France, and this tour takes the opportunity to pay homage to the fact that the game has been a wonderfully chivalric form of warfare for both countries for so long.
It is also a reminder to French people of just how high a price we paid to protect their liberty. All this will reverberate in the air when the All Blacks take the field in Paris on Armistice Day (November 12, NZ time).
Before that, the All Blacks will be taken on a personal odyssey through this history when they visit Le Quesnoy, the town where New Zealanders are permanently honoured for their role in liberating the district in the Second World War.
It may not mean much to them before it starts, but nobody, not even the most insensitive of professional ball players, could fail to miss the intensity of the feelings that surround these occasions.
The sight of Dave Gallaher's grave will also help to round out the picture. Gallagher, a hero of both the South African and the 1914-18 war, also happened to be All Black captain in the time available between expeditions abroad of a more sinister kind.
This tour comes at a time when New Zealand rugby is searching for ways of giving greater expression to its heritage; of welding the pragmatic commercialism of today with the long history of pride and sacrifice.
There will be much more on the agenda in Paris than another game of footy.
Rugby: Another battle on French soil
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