Test match fever.  A little bit anyway this week as the looong All Black season rounds out with the first real game of the end of season tour - the mighty (if you ask their rabid fans) Welsh in Cardiff.  Certainly a lot excitement being generated on the forum this time around.

I s'pose I should touch on that Aussie beating in Tokyo.  It was, as predicted by most, another win to the All Blacks.  And the result was never really in doubt, even with the All Blacks trailing at the half 13-16, before running out comfortable winners 32-19.  This extends their winning streak against the Convicts to 7, and gives Henry a 7-1 record over Deans in their personal head to head. 

That streak is one short of the record apparently, so next season could see some more landmarks set if the Wobblies continue to self destruct under Robbie.

The best thing from the Tokyo test though, is the tearing out of the hair and conspiracy theories coming out from the the tin foil hat wearing Aussie rugby fraternity.  You would think some of them have a few more brains, but there you go, we were wrong.  Time to build a bridge and face the fact that the Wobbly team is pretty much rubbish, no matter who is coaching - the players are just not there at the moment, or if they are, they are not all pulling in the same direction, and the results are showing that.  One win over the Boers a successful season does not make.

Enough on the Wobblies though, just re read any match report from the other three tests of the year against them - McCaw fantastic leader, Carter the general, defence superb, Wobblies tried hard but just not good enough.  Time for the Taffs.

So the Welsh have been talking themselves up - or at least, in Gatland's case, talking the All Blacks down.  But he of all people you would think would know, as soon as you start talking about the 'aura' being gone, you are admitting that it is there, and is being talked about in your camp, and is a big farking mental problem for your team.  That call from Gatland shows an intellect that makes a marble look like it is all sharp edges.  Once a front rower, always a front rower perhaps...  The players are not talking it up though, not yet at least.

The Welsh have a few injuries through their team, and have lost a few class players.  So too have the All Blacks, the worlds best loosehead prop and wing are both benched after being thugs against the Convicts.  Well, Woody for being a prop and throwing a nice elbow, and Sivi for being a dumb arse and tackling a man in the air.  That was extra dumb and worthy of mention actually.  Sivi had all the momentum on, and if he had lept for the ball, I expect he would have got it, and probably legally killed the poor Aussie wing.  Something for him to think about anyway!  Either that or he could have waited another half second and smashed him the second his feet touched the ground.  Could have been a red card I reckon, but I digress, back to the Welsh and their injuries.  Nah, enough on them - the teams.

Wales 1 – Gethin Jenkins, 2 – Matthew Rees, 3 – Paul James, 4 – Alun Wyn Jones, 5 – Luke Charteris, 6 – Andy Powell, 7 – Martyn Williams, 8 – Ryan Jones (captain), 9 – Gareth Cooper, 10 – Stephen Jones, 11 – Shane Williams, 12 – Jamie Roberts, 13 – Tom Shanklin, 14 – Leigh Halfpenny, 15 – James Hook.
Reserves: 16 – Huw Bennett, 17 – Duncan Jones, 18 – Bradley Davies, 19 – Dafydd Jones, 20 – Martin Roberts, 21 – Jonathan Davies, 22 – Tom James.

All Blacks 1 – Wyatt Crockett, 2 – Andrew Hore, 3 – Neemia Tialata, 4 – Brad Thorn, 5 – Jason Eaton, 6 – Jerome Kaino, 7 – Richie McCaw (captain), 8 – Kieran Read, 9 – Brendon Leonard, 10 – Dan Carter, 11 – Zac Guildford, 12 – Ma'a Nonu, 13 – Conrad Smith, 14 – Cory Jane, 15 - Mils Muliaina.
Replacements: 16 - Corey Flynn, 17 - Owen Franks, 18 - Tom Donnelly, 19 - Adam Thomson, 20 - Jimmy Cowan, 21 - Stephen Donald, 22 - Ben Smith.

Talking points on the All Black team - test debut for Zac Guildford, starters jersey for Wyatt Crockett, Jason Eaton, Jerome Kaino and Jason Leonard, and potential test debut for the tour bolter, Otago's Ben Smith. 

A few left field selections there, the Eaton and Leonard ones in particular in my eyes.  Eaton has been hanging on by his fingernails to his test spot - injuries keeping him in the mix.  Since the second Boer test though, where he subbed on and looked far from a test footballer, he has been adding value in his appearances.  So time to pay the piper for the big bearded one.

Leonard, in that same test, also looked like a second division NPC halfback reserve.  He was coming back from injury though, and a test against the Bokke in Boerland is probably not the ideal comeback match.  This time he has had some solid NPC form, and should be ready and raring to go. 

Crockett, the second best loosehead in New Zealand.  His straight swap for Woody gives the front row the least disruption.  The other option of moving Tialata to the loose and bringing Franks or Afoa on at tight, would have been thought about, but getting Tialata into the 'I am a tighthead, I am a tighthead, I am a tighthead, I am a tighthead', mode is more important I believe!

Kaino gets another chance in the super interesting battle with the vastly improved Adam Thomson to lay a mortgage on the six jumper.  Fantastic to have two quality players, of two vastly different styles, vying for the blindside slot.  One big scary munter in Kaino, a tight six, and one slightly less scary munter in Thomson, who is a six-slash-seven with the ball scavenging skills that Kaino does not have.  Thomson also seems to explode off the bench when he is used from the pine, so good calls all round here from the Cartel.

Ben Smith - go him.  I have to admit I know next to nothing about this bloke, but if he's wearing a black jersey with a silver fern on it, he must be pretty damn handy eh!!

Anyway, another Welsh test in Wales - the fifth on the trot at Millennium Stadium since 2004, wouldn't it be nice to see the Taffs in New Zealand at some stage again soon...

Expect another win for the men in Black, expect the Welsh to come out firing before they get snotted again.  Expect the All Blacks to Haka it up and then sod off ready for the kick off, leaving the Welsh standing around with no one to pull faces at (that's what I'd do anyway), but most of all, expect an exciting match - one that you can stay awake from start to finish of, unlike  the Aussie test (I was talking loooong blinks, honest)...

Finals time - almost a case of, "Meanwhile, back at the Bat Cave" - the Cantabs hosting the Wellington side.  How many seasons the bridesmaid now for Wellington, too many if you ask any Wellingtonian, (three) so time for them to win one.  But against the olde foe Canterbury, at Lancaster Park, a big ask, especially now with the mental block (and I'm not talking about their coach Joseph) of making finals, but never winning them (that is for both Wellington and the Hurricanes).  After 80 minutes this weekend, expect it to be four silvers on the trot for Wellington...

Heartland Rugby.  Time for the NZRU to make even less friends if you listen to Fonzie on the opinion forum.  And I agree to an extent.  Perhaps not cull the piss poor provinces completely as the Axe Man Fonz siggested, but limit them.  Do the Heartland provinces really need a nation wide competition?  Or perhaps could they just play, as pre 1976, friendlies against provinces that are close by - Thames Valley for instance (my alma mata), would not fly to the South Island four times (as they did this season), but would play King Country, East Coast, Poverty Bay, and a Counties, Bay of Plenty and Waikato XV perhaps. 

No longer are these small provinces providing any players for higher levels.  If players have any class, they are spotted and hijacked to the big unions while still at, or shortly after, school.  These teams are now just part of history, and while chopping them would be the wisest thing to do financially, historically, I think they have to stay, but reduce their drain on the NZRU's coffers