Paul Watson wrote: You enjoy watching a white wash? Hmm, nah, I don't enjoy a whitewash, but there are several reasons to enjoy this NZ vs. Italy match: 1) It's the ABs first match of the comp. The Kiwi crowd and the Kiwi press will be peaking right about then, and the frenzy will be immense! 2) It'll be interesting to see how the Italian side, coached by the legendary ex-AB John Kirwin, are going to fair. They've been pretty disorganised over the past year or so... The Kirwin factor adds interest to this particular game. 3) Second match of the comp. The Oz vs. Argentina game, naturally, is going to be a must-see. I'd have to admit, I'm in a bit of a quandry really: do I, as an Englishman, support the Aussies on the principle that anyone playing against Argentina deserves to win (see this page[^]), or do I, as an almost-Kiwi, support Argentina on the principle that, well, Kiwis never support the Aussies ;P ? Decisions, decisions... Anyway, only 2 days away. Of as this very helpful page[^] tells me, 1 day, 13 hrs, 44 mins and 37 seconds. You'll know where to find me... Jon