KEY POINTS:
So this is it. The Big Push.
Nearly four years on from the last time I headed overseas to cover what I expected would be an All Black World Cup victory, I am off again. The toothpaste has been put in a clear plastic bag, all seven pairs of underpants have been cleaned and folded and my passport has been located after an exhaustive search.
There's the usual sense of expectation and trepidation. Will there be stories of celebration to cover, or the usual four-yearly recriminations? Will I be able to order a meal without embarrassing myself? Will my kids recognise me when I return?
I look forward to telling you all that and more in the next seven weeks.
Even from a distance the All Blacks look better than last time out.
For a start they're visible. They're swimming, they're smiling. The bunker mentality that made them so unpopular in Melbourne four years ago has gone.
When the pressure comes on later in the tournament the type of siege mentality that the All Blacks seem to replicate every tournament could well return, but so far so good.
Anyway, this is just a short note to say hello.
Au revoir jusqu'a ce que j'arrive de l'autre cote du monde!
