As the All Blacks prepare to play the Springboks on Saturday, South Africa will be making global headlines for a different reason as the trial of Oscar Pistorious resumes.
The professional athlete stands accused of the rage-fuelled murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
The future of Pistorious, a double-amputee who was dubbed the Blade Runner because of the scythe-like prosthetics, lies in the hands of Judge Thokozile Masipa.
Judge Masipa is expected to take two days to revisit the evidence given by 37 witnesses over six and a-half months of often gruelling testimony before she delivers her decision in a case attracting global attention.
The judge is described as a no-nonsense jurist with a history of handing out long sentences to men found guilty of killing their partners.
Pistorious (27) faces up to 25 years in prison if she finds him guilty of premeditated murder.
Reports from South Africa indicate Pistorious' defence attorney Barry Roux is expecting a lesser charge of culpable homicide if the judge rules he did not intend to kill Steenkamp.
Either way, but the end of the process, Pistorious will either be a free man with a ruined reputation or a fallen Olympian facing years behind bars.
The global interest is fuelled partly by Pistorious' fame on the athletics track but also because of the judge's decision to allow a 24-hour channel to broadcast the proceedings live.
That brought the South African criminal justice system into sharp focus in South Africa, a country not known for its equal-handed administration of justice.
Millions of viewers watched the trial play out, with Pistorious seen sobbing inconsolably as the trial progressed. The parents of Ms Steenkamp were prominent in the front of the courthouse and there would be many people feeling their pain of losing a loved daughter.
Race has become a heated part of the trial, with the lavish lifestyle of Pistorious played out in front of a black woman from South African townships.
The justice system does not allow for a jury trial, in this instance. Corruption has also played a major part in the trial with a $5000 Rolex watch allegedly stolen from Pistorious' home after the murder and the murder weapon picked up with an ungloved hand.
The decision by Judge Masipa will be live-streamed on websites around the world, her every utterance recorded on Twitter in real time.
The commentary should reach fever pitch when the judgement begins.
Any hint of bias from the judge will be open to global scrutiny, something no-one will want to see as Pistorious faces his future.
On the rugby field, South Africa is moving to increase quotas that will affect the selection of the Springboks for next year's World Cup.
If the new rules are adopted - and it seems certain they will - the Springboks will need to include seven non-white players in their 23-match-day squads next year.
Five of those players will need to be on the field at any time in tests starting from next year.
It will change the look of the team.
Last weekend in Perth, the team had only three non-white players in the team.
The national body wants to have the historically white sport operating on a 50-50 basis by 2019 with half the squads being non-white players.
The national rugby union emphasised ignoring the racial imbalance in national teams would put the sport at peril.
At the same time, South African politics remains mired in corruption and violence with candidates targeted - allegedly by their opponents.
Many of the black South Africans have not benefited from the change to black rule, despite the resource sector of the country being one of the richest in the world.
New Zealand has a long history with South Africa through wars, sport and protests against racially-selected teams.
New Zealand and Australia have a growing population of white South Africans fleeing from their home country.
The trial of Pistorious, the evolution of the country's top rugby team and the ongoing improvement of the lives of South Africans still living in poor conditions in the townships must remain top of mind.
Above all, fairness and justice must prevail.
