KICK-OFF this evening. The Bulls at Loftus. Nothing tougher. But nothing more satisfying either when we click. The eyes of the entire country will be on our half-back pairing of Freddie Michalak and Patrick Lambie. This is an inspired selection. Each has proven brilliance in several positions. Each is now in his preferred slot.
Michalak, the most humorous man in rugby – just watch what he does, the way he plays with the opposition, enjoys bamboozling them - will give Lambie every bit of room he needs. Lambie wriggles through a quarter-gap anyway. He also has a way of setting his threequarters moving at pace and with space. JP Pietersen is going to enjoy his move to centre. With forward momentum – and there's no reason to believe this will be lacking – we should be in for a cracker of a game.
The Bulls will, of course, be intent on closing down this potential brilliance, slowing the game. This match could set a pattern for the season. Will the 15-man game or the 10-man game prevail?
And then we've got England versus Wales on Saturday and Scotland versus France on Sunday. Both should be humdingers. My money's on Wales. They're a young side, they were the best in the World Cup, they were fantastic against Ireland and they deserve to take the Six Nations.
Meanwhile, there's been some fantastic rugby in the English premiership. Leicester versus Saracens was an absolute cracker, the lead see-sawing all the way through; Leicester taking the ball through several phases in extra time after the hooter, to set up a drop goal that snatched them the game 19-17. Classic stuff!
Lots of South Africans involved as well, including our own John Smit.
Then a West Country derby – Bath versus Gloucester. This began in a downpour of rain and with an incredible fracas almost from the kick-off. Here was a free-for-all that seemed to involve almost all 30 players. Would the ref stop the match?
"Welcome to West Country rugby," the commentator said sardonically. Ah, the West Country: "Oi 'ad 'er, Oi 'ad 'er, Oi 'ad 'er, oi oi …"
Then one fellow got yellow-carded – a sacrificial lamb after so much had been going on – and the game settled down into another epic – this time of the muddy paddock, Gloucester running out winners 14-11. Thrilling stuff!
Why can't we bring our club rugby to this kind of pitch? Imagine Durban Collegians versus Pretoria Harlequins; College Rovers versus Diggers; Maritzburg Collegians versus Villagers – all of them with their Springboks and provincial caps playing. It would transform and revitalise club rugby, create a vast new pool of talent. If France and the Home Unions can organise it, why can't we?
But back to current realities. Tonight it's the big crunch. Feelings are running high. Ladies who attend the screening at Durban's various rugby-supporting establishments are advised to wear knickers because the elastic might be required for catapults to shoot out the streetlights in the celebratory feu de joie. The season begins!
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