Saturday's third Test between the British & Irish Lions and the All Blacks at Eden Park, Auckland, is second only to a Rugby World Cup final. And with that in mind, we know form doesn't necessarily mean anything. When you're in a game like this you're up for anything; the Lions will throw everything at it.
The All Blacks are the defending world champions and have all the pressure of playing in front of an expectant nation, whereas the Lions really have nothing to lose. I think the Lions can walk that tightrope more than New Zealand can afford to, so they will come out and play. We don't want to play within ourselves, which has never been the All Blacks way; we've got to go out and win, score tries and play our game.
But really, nothing has changed. You've got to win the physical battle first.
I must admit, hand on heart, I whispered into a few people's ears on Saturday that it would be great to see the Lions get a victory to set it up for this weekend. I couldn't actually see it happening but I was thinking in the greater scheme of things what it would mean for Auckland having a live Test match - a series decider. Sure enough it has come to fruition for whatever reason.
Looking at the second Test, the Lions simply fronted up and played better. When have the All Blacks been kept tryless and had two tries put on them? The penalty count was 13 against the Lions and eight for New Zealand, so we had 13 opportunities to do something with the ball or kick a goal and we didn't do it. We could have won the game. But you have to take your hat off to the way the Lions played.
Obviously the red card situation is a bit of blight on the game and certainly a huge talking point from Saturday night, and will be so into the future. But that's the way the law is written. We take that on the chin. I know there a lot of people commenting on the French referee 'blah, blah, blah, it wasn't fair'. It was 100 percent fair. The ruling was consistent with what the referees have done all year.
Unfortunately, Sonny Bill Williams is going to be painted as a bit of a victim and he's going to have to wear it. But it's only a game and we need to put things in perspective. He made a mistake; people should forgive him and move on because he didn't kick anyone in the head. He was over-vigorous and careless and I think careless is the key word.
But being careless allows you to make mistakes and if you put a shoulder on a head you're going to pay the price, as the law says. There is a real emphasis on concussion these days and rightly so; though we've seen far more sinister incidents where people have come off a lot worse. Thankfully Anthony Watson wasn't hurt too seriously.
There was a whole lot of happy Lions at fulltime and a heap of even happier Lions supporters; it is all set up for a massive week in Auckland.
For the Lions to have a couple of days down in Queenstown, well, you'd have to say that's the right decision. It's been a helluva long season. A lot of people don't appreciate the efforts that those guys would have put in. They can't get any fitter, and they have got their game plan and understand each other. We talked right at the beginning of the tour about what the Lions needed to do: gel as a team.
It may have taken some time, but that's what Warren Gatland has done. This team has gone around New Zealand, fronted up at schools and different public gatherings and been very, very professional. They deserve a couple of days of "r and r".
The Lions have one last hurdle to overcome but you can't train the heart, the motivation or the desire; they know they are 80 minutes away from a possible Test series win.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, have gone away licking their wounds. The injury ward of Ben Smith, Ryan Crotty and Dane Coles, and then add Williams in as well, is a huge chunk of experience that is missing. But there is plenty of depth in behind that and they will all have to step up.
The big question now is: what happens in midfield? For me, Anton Lienert-Brown has been a stand out in this series. He's one of those players whose form in Super Rugby wasn't overly special, but what he's done in the black jersey has been superb. He's really stepped up, so you would certainly keep him there for the third Test.
Then it's just a case of whether you put another youngster in alongside Lienert-Brown or bring back the likes of Malakai Fekitoa who has been there and done that, and who will probably offer a steadier hand. Defensively, Fekitoa will be absolutely outstanding and he also has the ability to break the line.
Ngani Laumape may have been a little too excited on his Test debut as he got exposed a couple of times. On the other hand, you know that Fekitoa understands the systems, knows the backline, is familiar with the people around him and that strong defence is a hallmark of his game. I would be leaning towards putting Fekitoa straight back into the starting line-up; he's hurting enough to go out and prove a point. You don't get that motivation too often and you might as well use it to your advantage.
It would be a way back into the team for him because he hadn't really done too much wrong, it was just the sheer weight of numbers in selection that saw him overlooked in the first place. They chose to go for Jack Goodhue because he's the future and Laumape because he had been outstanding in Super Rugby.
It will be interesting to see what they do but I think it would be a risk if they went to a more inexperienced player.
The other question is: what do they do with the back three? We don't have a back-up kicker out there; so do you put Beauden Barrett to the back or do you leave him at first five-eighth and give his younger brother, Jordie, a start? And would you also look for Jordie to take over the kicking responsibilities?
I wouldn't be surprised if the selectors were weighing up bringing in Jordie and using his X factor. But then again I don't know. Aaron Cruden didn't look to be in his best condition and I wonder if he was carrying an injury. He looked as if his knee wasn't quite right.
It certainly would be a baptism of fire for Jordie but it's been done before. In 1993, Lee Stensness came in and started in the midfield and did really well. I think these guys are ready because it is do-or-die for the All Blacks. Knowing how close they got with only 14 men on the park, the All Blacks can be relatively confident in their ability to get the job done at full complement.
In closing, the travelling Lions supporters deserve a special mention; they have been absolutely fantastic and an absolute joy to host. Having a whole group of fans following a tour is a throwback to the days of yesteryear, and it's something we don't get to see too often in the professional era. What it does for New Zealand's economy, and what it could do if we had tour parties following the All Blacks the other way round, is serious stuff.
There's more to the exercise than mere gate-takings and the view of the respective unions concerned. The hotels, bars and restaurants will have been loving it and there has been no trouble or bad behaviour which is great and the way it should be. And they've been getting a good look at New Zealand in the meantime.