All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick, World Rugby's player of the year in 2014, has made it clear that, as far as he's concerned, he isn't a defending champion.
As much as he has achieved over the past few years, he wasn't involved in the last World Cup.
During a press conference at his team's hotel near the Tower of London, Retallick was asked where he had watched the 2011 final in which the All Blacks squeaked past France 8-7 at Eden Park.
"I wasn't at Eden Park," he said. "I was at the Havelock North fire station. Like probably everyone else in the country who follows rugby and who wasn't at Eden Park, I was just excited to be watching it and there was a real buzz around New Zealand."
From a mini grandstand with friends in Havelock North to a potentially major player at the 2015 World Cup in England, which is guaranteed to be the most watched in history, Retallick has come a long way in four years. And with 41 caps to his name after his test debut in 2012, the 2.04m 24-year-old is ready to ignite on the biggest stage.