Graham Henry (L) and Steve Hansen. Photo / Sarah Ivey
We all really do speak and write a lot of drivel in the days leading up to an important sporting contest.
Nothing is different before tonight's opening Bledisloe Cup clash in this World Cup year.
Three of the most debated issues are potentially three of the most irrelevant to the eventual outcome.
When asked a follow-up question to an off-the-cuff comment at a press conference, New Zealand's assistant coach Steve Hansen suggested the Wallabies "probably didn't respect the All Blacks".
Intelligent use of the word "probably" because "probably" is not "definitely", and Steve's bright enough to know the Wallabies definitely respect the All Blacks. You Kiwis might consider Aussies a touch "thuck", but we're not that dopey.
Indeed, Steve's been around the coaching block so many times he's fully aware the first step on the journey to certain defeat is lacking respect for your opponent, whoever it may be. It's unlikely he'll have convinced Robbie Deans, Rocky Elsom et al to look disrespectfully upon Richie McCaw and his men.
Nice try though.
Quade Cooper's adrenalin-charged shove of McCaw in last year's win by Australia in Hong Kong has been given a right royal airing over the past week, but I'm thinking neither of them will be overly focused on last October this August.
Sure, there might be the odd bit of lip should either of those individuals find themselves in vulnerable circumstances between the opening whistle and the last, but will any supposed festering anger be turned into points by the All Blacks? I doubt it. Fodder for bar-rooms, I suspect.
Apparently it's been 25 years since the Wallabies have won at Eden Park. Eight of Elsom's outfit weren't out of the womb at that stage, so I'm guessing pre-birth history is not weighing heavily on their minds. It is, after all, only a field.
Considering the All Blacks haven't lost to anyone there since 1994, I'm happy to be accused of naivete by suggesting the venue doesn't hold an advantage for the home side.
But I just sense this Wallaby team couldn't care if they were playing at Eden Park or the Garden of Eden, they'd approach the game the same way. That approach is based on backing their skills, trusting their defence and learning from mistakes.
To that end, they should have learned something from the first two Tri-Nations games. They'll have noticed that when they had the match in the bag against the Springboks, they allowed the South Africans to score some soft, if meaningless, late points. The All Blacks permitted no such thing and in that alone there was a mental lesson.
Over the years, the characteristic most admired by Australians about New Zealand rugby teams has been their ruthlessness. The 2011 Wallabies need that as much as they need the brilliance of Quade Cooper and Will Genia, and if it's going to surface, it will be driven from the top.
There's been a lot of debate in Australia this year about Elsom and his right to the Wallaby captaincy. From a distance, he doesn't appear to have learned his leadership from the "How To Be A Captain" textbook, but Sir Don Bradman's batting technique wasn't textbook either. Now I'm not expecting Rocky to be knighted any time soon, but he demonstrated a fortnight ago against South Africa he knows how to lead from the front.
Like his opposing captain McCaw, Elsom will also be aware that ruthlessness is much more likely to decide the outcome than rehashing history, ancient or otherwise.
This Wallaby side is working on being as ruthless as it is talented, and if they achieve that, history can be left in the past.
Andrew Slack was captain of the last Wallaby team to win at Eden Park, in 1986.