KEY POINTS:
If the All Blacks fail to win the World Cup, every judgement they have made over the past four years will be examined, unpicked and blamed for the demise.
Even if we think New Zealand has grown up in dealing with rugby defeats - and didn't it have to improve enormously after the disgraceful reactions in 1999 - a loss in this tournament will provoke wild and fluctuating disapproval.
The most recent decisions from the New Zealand Rugby Union approval of the Cotton Wool Club to the selection red cards for Piri Weepu and Troy Flavell will receive the strongest inspection.
There will be those too who will question the sense in the All Blacks bunkering down in Corsica for a few days before their quest for the Webb Ellis Cup.
The argument will be that the side was too pampered, that the mollycoddling softened them mentally for the tournament. However, should Richie McCaw hold the trophy in triumph at Paris in late October, there will be plaudits for any form of player welfare.
The difference in such a final might only be a few points but victory or defeat will produce massively different theories in the court of public opinion.
In 1999, the All Blacks disappeared to the south of France before the quarter-finals for a little time-out, a breather which became bad news for them when they fell in the semifinal.
When John Mitchell decided to keep the All Blacks out of the limelight as much as possible in Melbourne in 2003, the squad was painted as too cosseted and therefore unable to deal with real pressure when they also disappeared in the semifinal.
Similar arguments surfaced last season when the All Blacks enjoyed the lavish surroundings of Sun City before losing in a very poor effort to an average Springboks side. No matter the lack of alternate lodgings, the 'living-like-kings' theory suited some All Blacks detractors.
When the All Blacks win, critical analysis is reduced. When they lose, rancour oozes from all points of the compass. It is easy to forget that, 20 years ago in the middle of the first World Cup, the All Blacks were taken to the Wairarapa for some R& R where they were billeted by local farming families.
That mental therapy never became an issue - because the All Blacks won the tournament. This two-day detour to Corsica should be treated in the same manner, whether the side wins this sixth global tournament or not.
My sympathies are not always with decisions made by the All Blacks selectors but in this case they seem spot on. The All Blacks will be pestered, hounded, lauded and taunted. They will come under more scrutiny from the public, fans, paparazzi, media and opportunists than they have felt in their rugby lives.
They say they accept it but tolerate might be a better word because it will be relentless and at times insufferable.
One problem for the All Black management will be finding ways of releasing that pressure. This trip to Corsica was one. And before anyone starts to throw up a financial argument about the inappropriateness of the stopover, tournament organisers have agreed to cover the visit.
It would have been a massive mistake for the All Blacks to fly across the world and straight into their base in Marseille. At least this way they can feel a shade rested and certainly much better equipped to deal with the media and civic receptions which are planned for their arrival tomorrow.
Public relations is a powerful weapon for any World Cup side and, if the All Blacks impress and rekindle the support they grabbed last year in Marseille, they will have made a strong start.
