To say it will be titanic is a weak statement.  This is a game that pits the world’s top two teams in the world – both currently and over one hundred years of history.  No other team that walks the earth can and ever will claim the dominance than the two colossuses bring to Wellington to begin the Tri Nations tournament; the most daunting rugby competition in the world.

Defending and eight time champions New Zealand completed their warm-up by disposing of England, the World Cup runners-up and Northern Hemisphere’s highest-ranked team, by imposing margins of 17 and 32 points. The All Blacks are weaker by virtue of a debilitating exodus of international players, but this is no exposed team with over half of the squad veterans of 20-plus Tests. However, eight of the current Test 22 have never faced the green of the Springboks.

Arriving on Kiwi shores are the world champions and No.1 ranked team in the world, South Africa. Six-Nations Grand Slammers Wales were no match for them, going down by margins of 26 and 16 points. Ten of their match-day Test 22 are World Cup winners, and there is no doubt that this is one of the strongest Springbok teams ever to arrive in All Black territory. None of their starting 15 has ever defeated a New Zealand team at home.

The All Blacks boast a record that they would like to defend – they have now gone 29 consecutive matches undefeated at home - a world record. This is not the only marker at stake. Victory will see them reclaim the No.1 world ranking, a title they held for 43 months before their World Cup disaster. However, while a loss to the Springboks will see the All Blacks still in second spot, they will have their lowest-ever points ranking since the IRB began ratings in 2003.

Head to head: All Blacks 40, Springboks 29, Drawn 3. Best NZ result - 52-16, Pretoria 2003. Best SA result - 17-0, Durban 1928. Last five matches - NZ 4 SA 1.

THE EDGE IN THE FORWARDS In the front, the All Blacks boast a better scrum, pillared by the veterans Tony Woodcock and Greg Somerville and the Super 14’s form hooker Andrew Hore.  However, the Springboks reign supreme in the air, with a World Cup winning combination of locks Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha and captain John Smit’s throws.  With Richie McCaw out, the South Africans boast the more formidable, but they will not embarrass the All Black loose forwards. 

THE EDGE IN THE BACKS: South Africa’s No.10 Butch James had an outstanding World Cup year and was brilliant with Bath, but concedes to the planet’s finest first five eighth, Dan Carter – coming back into his own in 2008.  While Jean de Villiers is the form inside centre of world rugby, he will be matched by the menace of Ma’a Nonu, while Conrad Smith has more street smarts and combination than rookie Adrian Jacobs.  The threequarter line is evenly matched, with IRB 2008 player of the year clashing with All Black incumbents Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu.

THE X FACTOR: This game will be played under the ELVs – rules that benefited the New Zealand teams during the Super 14, and which the African teams struggled to adjust to.  The rolling maul can now be pulled down, an ejection of both of the teams’ great strengths.  Smit, Matfield and James have never played under these laws; and how they adjust will be crucial.

CAPTAINS: Hurricanes kipper Rodney So’oialo will start his first Test as New Zealand captain – playing out of position and alongside two novice international loose forwards.  While untested, he is a true lead-from-the-front hard worker.  Meanwhile, World Cup winning captain Smit, with 75 Tests to his name, is arguably the finest international captain in the game. Cmmenting on the Springboks’ recent inability to win in New Zealand, he said this week: “It certainly does put a bit of fire in the belly because it's a box that hasn't been ticked”.  He will never be in a better position to rectify this.

Prediction: In the biggest Test match of 2008 and the most anticipated game in years, I predict the All Blacks to win this by the tightest of margins against a very good Springbok team.  New Zealand by one point.

New Zealand: 1. Tony Woodcock, 2. Andrew Hore, 3. Greg Somerville, 4. Brad Thorn, 5. Ali Willliams, 6. Adam Thomson, 7. Rodney So’oialo (c), 8. Jerome Kaino; 9. Andy Ellis, 10. Dan Carter, 11. Rudi Wulf, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 13. Conrad Smith, 14. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 15. Mils Muliaina. Reserves: 16. Keven Mealamu, 17. Neemia Tialata, 18. Anthony Boric, 19. Sione Lauaki, 20. Jimmy Cowan, 21. Stephen Donald, 22. Leon MacDonald.

South Africa: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Ricky Januarie; 8 Joe van Niekerk, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp. Reserves: 16 Bismark du Plessis, 17 Brian Mujati, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Luke Watson, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Francois Steyn, 22 Percy Montgomery.