It may only be a so-called friendly on paper, but for Johnnie Beattie the World Cup warm-up clash with Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday is the biggest match of his career.
England play their first game since winning the Six Nations title when they face Wales in a World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Saturday, with manager Martin Johnson keen to see his side tested.
Despite teething problems with the new format, Super Rugby in its current form is here to stay and SANZAR boss Greg Peters is not at all concerned that the amount of rugby played will devalue the competition.
The cold, rainy weather normally associated with winter in the Cape Peninsula finally settled in on Thursday afternoon, resulting in generally low scores in the Boland and Western Province matches played ahead of the long weekend.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has named a 24-man squad featuring several players returning from injury rehabilitation for the home leg of the Tri-Nations series.
Western Province backline coach Robbie Fleck has sent the forwards back into the ruck so that the backs can finally play with the ball.
Union High and Volkskool are nearly nextdoor neighbours in the lovely Little Karroo town of Graaff-Reinet and they play each other in an FNB Classic Clash on Saturday, one that will absorb much of the town's interest.
Rugby fans once again have the chance to chat to their favourite Springbok heroes and help the victims of serious rugby injuries at the same time.
The prospect of playing in front of 20,000 screaming people would be enough to put any schoolboy off his game. Not Jaco Jordaan.
Thank heavens, the Tri-Nations is starting at last. We have A team playing A team, not A/B playing B/C. And this could be one of the greatest game of the year as the old play the new, the old buck against the young buck intent on defeating him.
The Tri-Nations will continue to feature on the rugby calendar during World Cup years despite the congested international schedule it creates according to SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters.
Jonny Wilkinson singled out Manu Tuilagi as the future of English rugby after the Leicester centre was included in the starting line-up for a World Cup warm-up match against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
Only two games take place in the provincial first division this weekend, with the EP Kings travelling to Kempton Park where they will be looking to take over first place on the log from the Boland Cavaliers on Friday.
The Currie Cup will have an interesting flavour this weekend with the inclusion of over 20 Springboks released from the national set-up, which makes the outcome of many of the games quite tough to predict.
Four players tested at the 2011 Craven Week in Kimberley last month have been found to have taken banned potions and are due to face a hearing which will decide whether there will be suspensions from playing rugby.
