New Zealand rugby fans are an inward-looking lot. So, while the discussions about Scott Robertson's first squad naming and just who will make his starting XV for the All Blacks' first test have been deep and numerous, not an awful lot has been mentioned about who they're playing.
Steve Borthwick's England quietly slipped into New Zealand last week after playing a test match against Japan in Tokyo, already winning a few hearts and minds with a visit and some helping hands at Sir Michael Jones' Village Community Services Trust in South Auckland.
It wasn't the only outing the team has made, attending the Warriors' win over the Broncos at Go Media Mt Smart on Saturday night. They were there thanks to the connections of assistant coach Kevin Sinfield, the rugby league great who played an astounding 521 times for Leeds, alongside the likes of Ali Lauiti'iti and under coach Brian McLennan.
Sinfield has made an impressive mark in the 15-man code after switching to become defence coach at Leicester only three years ago. Within a year, he was appointed to the same position in the England team.
Players from the England Rugby team watch the NZ Warriors v Brisbane Broncos. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Sinfield says that the English are "really looking forward to the games".
"Our squad is fully fit, there's two big test matches ahead of us against a great opposition ... we know how difficult it's going to be down here. Our guys watch a lot of Super Rugby and it's got some fantastic players."
It is worth remembering that the last time the last three results the All Blacks have had against England were a draw, the World Cup semi-final loss and a very fortuitous one-point win in 2018. It's also worth remembering that England have only beaten the All Blacks twice on New Zealand soil, with the last time being so long ago that head coach Borthwick was sitting on the bench.
The Guardian rugby writer Rob Kitson said that the English Six Nations campaign earlier this year, in which they finished third with three wins and two losses, showed real progress under a Borthwick regime that hadn't shown much inventiveness till that point. That's not to say it didn't work - their World Cup campaign last year wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing but it got them within a penalty goal of the final.
"It definitely finished better than it started," Kitson said about the Six Nations, that started with a fourth consecutive defeat to Scotland.
"They got together and had a meeting after the Scotland game, that didn't go well, the last couple of games they decided on a change of approach. They said 'well, we've got some good players out in the backline, we've got to use them'. Then they beat Ireland at Twickenham and lost by a point in Lyon to France and played much better. More importantly than the results, they started to develop a bit more confidence and rhythm, the things you need to be able to do anything down here (in NZ)."
It's that willingness to adapt that would make simply lumping this English team into the same stereotype we associate with their rugby a bit short-sighted. While their World Cup campaign last year revolved heavily around winning penalties and the lineout drive, they do possess the exciting talent of Marcus Smith. The Harlequins first five has been given a clear run in the 10 jersey for this tour, after George Ford withdrew due to injury, and his influence on their 52-17, eight tries to two win over Japan in their opening tour match was evident.
They're also missing the experienced trio of Ellis Genge, Ollie Chessum and Elliot Daly, as well as Owen Farrell due to him taking up a contract in France and therefore ruling himself out of selection. Another issue for the English is their discipline, with a red card ending Charlie Ewels' tour and Smith picking up a yellow in the win over Japan.
England's Ben Earl. Photo: ©INPHO/James Crombie
Loose forward Ben Earl said that "there's a lot more than just a game of rugby rolled into it when it comes to playing the All Blacks".
"The feeling around the city, around the hotel and around the group is all very much building towards a good performance. I guess it's just improving on the way we've been playing lately, the energe we're trying to play with, the aggression we're trying to play with. If we can implement that, we're going to give ourselves a great chance."
Sinfield agreed, pointing to how the team has got better and better as the year has gone on.
"We've prepared pretty well, we had a successful Six Nations campaign, an improvement on last year. We've got a test match under our belts (against Japan), there's plenty of improvement still in this group. What's important to us is the improvement and how much hunger there is."
Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow with the Super League trophy. Photo: VAUGHN RIDLEY/SWPIX.COM
However, they are going to have to make something happen in Dunedin without Sinfield. He flies home later this week to attend the funeral of great friend and teammate Rob Burrow, who recently died from motor neurone disease.
Burrow's condition prompted Sinfield to raise millions for MND charities, something he said was his "greatest achievement above all he achieved in rugby league".
He is aiming to return for the second test at Eden Park, a place where the All Blacks haven't lost for 30 years. England will need to make history if they are to achieve an unlikely series win, however their recent upward curve and element of surprise is a definite sign that it probably won't be the sort of one-way traffic affair that many All Black fans might be predicting.
"There's only three that have had the experience of playing down here previously (2017 Lions tour members Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Dan Cole), so these guys get to shape their own experiences and memories."