KEY POINTS:
The phoney World Cup war is almost over but for the All Blacks it may drag on a little longer.
For what seems to have been far too long, the international scene has been littered with matches between below-strength sides, developing squads or a collection of discards - all in the name of player preservation or sifting talent.
Wait till the World Cup, people intoned, then you will see the real deal.
Those games will eventuate but not so much for the All Blacks. The IRB wisdom was to seed sides on their form three years ago which has left the ridiculous sight of host France, Ireland and Argentina - all sides in the top six global rankings - in the same pool.
Elsewhere the All Blacks have roadkill like Portugal and Romania on which to sharpen their repertoire.
So while the tournament is about to begin, it remains an unsound sporting event.
The All Blacks have to make do with the Six Nations opposition from Italy and Scotland as the best competition they will receive before the quarter-finals.
They have already considered playing a game among their squad to try to ramp up their preparation.
The All Blacks have never lost a pool match in five previous tournaments while Italy have never qualified for the quarters and Scotland have done so but without much more success.
So we build towards Sunday at Marseille. Interest is surging because rugby is most popular in the south of France. Marseille wants to show off its best and bars and restaurants are preparing for hordes of visitors who are using the excuse of the World Cup to tailgate their adventures.
The 60,000 seat Stade Velodrome has sold out for the Italy match which will be broadcast on giant screens at the famous Vieux Port and in cafes throughout the city.
Six games out of the 48 World Cup matches will be played at the stadium in a city which has spent €11 million ($21 million) on preparing to host about 150,000 foreign visitors during the cup.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry confirmed he will name a strong side when it is announced on Thursday.
