OPINION: The busiest month on the world rugby calendar is about to hit us with more than 40 international games set to take place.
Of course most focus will be on by how many points the All Blacks can beat Japan, France, England and Ireland by, while there will be interest in the Maori All Blacks' games against Canada and the USA.
More than 60 of New Zealand's top players, along with the compulsory large management teams, will be on tour.
At the same time Australia have the opportunity to lift their world ranking above four with a grand slam a possibility against England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while they will also have a test against Italy thrown in.
They'll be wishing they could take Forsyth Barr on tour with them after an entertaining running game at the Dunedin stadium last Saturday.
South Africa will ensure Southern Hemisphere dominance when they come up against Wales, Scotland and France, while Samoa, with all their European professionals on board, will look to knock over Ireland and Georgia, while Argentina will be wanting to upset England, Italy and Wales.
Japan, Fiji and Tonga will also flex their muscles with Japan playing the All Blacks, Scotland and Russia.
Fiji will be looking to outrun Portugal, Italy, Romania and the Barbarians, while Tonga will be hustling and bustling against France, Wales and Romania.
Kieran Crowley, Neil Barnes and now Leo Crowley will direct Canada against the Maori All Blacks, Georgia, Romania and Portugal, while the likes of Chile and Spain, Brazil and Portugal, Israel and the Netherlands, Madagascar and Poland, and the USA and Russia will be battling it out.
What is surprising is that despite international rugby being played all over the world, European clubs carry on trying to field their strongest possible squads in the Aviva Premiership (England), RaboDirect Pro 12 (Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy) and the Top 14 in France.
In New Zealand we can simply sit back and take it all in, despite most of it being played in awkward time zones.
As a matter of interest, England have risen to third in the world rankings behind the All Blacks and South Africa, Samoa sit seventh, with Australia, France and Wales immediately above them. Tonga are 11th, Fiji 13th.
With professional rugby now catering for the many talented South Pacific Island players it will not be too far away before they are all in the top 10.
Nowadays, with the All Blacks so dominant and the confidence of the group so strong that most things are transparent, selections are not questioned, so there is hardly an eyebrow raised when they include an "apprentice player" in Ardie Savea.
With many cunning ploys on the field, the All Blacks selection panel have gone a step further with a new move off it.
Old All Blacks stopped shaking their heads long ago after accepting that test caps were handed out for two minutes of test rugby, players didn't have to be the best in their position to get a start and real good players need a rest.
On this tour some players will play against Japan and some won't even attend, so this I'm sure will bring nothing more than a smile and a shrug.
As they can see, it has been another busy year and there is lots more to do. The rugby world is moving forward at full pace.
Ian Snook - © Fairfax NZ News
