Bay of Plenty v Lions: First and foremost, the Lions' tour opener against Bay of Plenty tomorrow will be up front and physical. Very physical. Given this will be a common theme throughout the next five or six weeks, they may as well have an accurate barometer for what lies ahead.
The Steamers, as they're known hereabouts, will give them that.
And there is no point, from an individual or collective view, in the Lions encountering anything else. Showing up well in a 100-pointer doesn't do anyone much good.
Some players will need to lay down a stronger marker than others. It is a huge game for Ronan O'Gara, given there are four specialist outhalfs in the squad and chances like this won't be plentiful. Likewise Gavin Henson, given there could be as many as five or six centres (including Shane Horgan) vying for the right to partner Brian O'Driscoll in midfield come the Tests.
One of those, Tom Shanklin, appears to have drawn a shorter straw than most by being picked on the left wing, although he, Horgan and Gordon D'Arcy are, at the very least, competing for a utility place on the Test bench.
Nearly everywhere else in the starting XV, you're looking at strong contenders for a Test place, and by opting for such a selection Clive Woodward is clearly seeking to hit the ground running. That has also raised the stakes for this game, as anything less and alarm bells would sound.
The Steamers have never beaten the Lions in four attempts - five including a joint effort with Thames Valley - but they held the tourists to a draw in 1966 and have always given the Lions a bristling, competitive encounter.
Inaugural winners of the NPC in 1976, The Steamers have had a chequered time of it since, but they were one of the surprise packages last season, progressing to the semi-finals of the NPC against Canterbury.
Their coach, Vern Cotter, was named coach of the year at the NZRU rugby awards and has just completed his first stint as assistant to Robbie Deans in the Crusaders' recent Super 12 triumph. All told, nine of this starting line-up, including half a dozen of the pack, contributed to a strong end-of-season showing by the Waikato Chiefs which saw them climb to sixth place.
The Steamers are known for their abrasiveness, especially when meeting touring sides, but Cotter sought to play this down.
"We're playing a team who are bigger than us, so they'll probably try and bully us at set phases," he said. "So we have to be up to the challenge physically, but without going over the top. The Bay are an emotional team, no two ways about it. They are passionate about their rugby, but it's certainly not going to boil over into a none-match."
Leading from the front will be blindside flanker Wayne Ormond, who certainly wasn't shy about hyping up the confrontational aspect of this game. "If any stuff happens in the game we'll dish it out back to them. I'm expecting them (Lions) to be pretty physical, so there's going to be a big contest up front and you can't afford to take a backward step."
As it's their own seasonal opener, there mightn't be too much in the way of frills from Bay of Plenty, and when going wide to the number 15 channel they're expected to kick through and chase. But everywhere else, be it the scrums, the fringe warfare, all the way to the midfield channels, they'll hurtle into the collisions.
Their core of Chiefs will give them a degree of continuity, while there will be a number of players for whom the Lions will have little or available homework, such as the supposed Fijian flyer Filimone Bolavucu, who has switched from Waikato and has been picked to make his competitive Bay of Plenty debut after scoring five tries in two warm-up games.
"Tactically it's been quite difficult to prepare for the Bay of Plenty because they haven't played in such a long time," admitted Woodward. "We know the coach from the Crusaders, but I think at this stage you've just to concentrate on your own team and take it from there."
For some Bay of Plenty players not in the Test frame, having a crack at the Lions might not unreasonably be described as the biggest game of their lives.
"I'm sure they'll be very much up for the game," comments Brian O'Driscoll with deliberate understatement. "The opportunity doesn't come around for players who aren't in the international frame very often to play opposition like the Lions. So I'm sure they'll be chomping at the bit, I'm sure they'll be very physical, they'll be well pumped up, so we're going to have to match them on all fronts and then some, and make sure we're on our game."
Ultimately, though, however much they will trouble the Lions, come the final quarter they mightn't be able to sustain such intensity. But, after the phoney war and public relations salvos, this will be the real welcome to New Zealand.
BAY OF PLENTY: A Cashmore; F Bolavucu, A Bunting, G McQuoid, A Tahana; M Williams, K Senio; S Davison, A Lutui, B Castle, M Sorenson, B Upton, W Ormond (capt), N Latu, C Bourke. Replacements: J Pareanga, T Filise, P Tupai, W Smith, C Hubbard, R Moon, A Stewart.
LIONS: J Lewsey (London Wasps, England); M Cueto (Sale Sharks, England), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, Ireland, capt), G Henson (Neath Swansea Ospreys, Wales), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues, Wales); R O'Gara (Munster, Ireland), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets, Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues, Wales), G Bulloch (Glasgow, Scotland), M Stevens (Bath, England), P O'Connell (Munster, Ireland), B Kay (Leicester Tigers, England), R Hill (Saracens, England), M Williams (Cardiff Blues, Wales), L Dallaglio (London Wasps). Replacements: S Thompson (Northampton Saints, England), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks, England), D O'Callaghan (Munster, Ireland), M Corry (Leicester Tigers, England), M Dawson (London Wasps, England), C Hodgson (Sale Sharks, England), G D'Arcy (Leinster, Ireland).
REFEREE: Paul Honiss (New Zealand).
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 1959 - Bay of Plenty/Thames Valley 24 Lions 26; 1966 - Bay of Plenty 6 Lions 6; 1971 - Bay of Plenty 14 Lions 20; 1977 - Bay of Plenty 16 Lions 23; 1983 - Bay of Plenty 16 Lions 34.
BETTING (Paddy Power): 6/1 Bay of Plenty, 33/1 draw, 1/10 Lions. Handicap odds (= Bay of Plenty +17pts) 10/11 Bay of Plenty, 16/1 Draw, 10/11 Lions.
FORECAST: Lions to beat Bay and the handicap.
Rotarua International Stadium, Saturday Kick-off: 7.10pm local time (8.10am Irish time):
On TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 and RTÉ Radio One (MW).
