The phoney war is over and, at last, the Rugby World Cup has begun. It seems an eternity since the All Blacks played their last test and the team for the cup was selected.
The last week, in particular, has dragged, with the reports illustrating the paucity of real news. Hakarenas and the All Blacks having to change on the bus for sponsorship reasons hardly hold the front page.
Analysis, too, is difficult when there are no performances to dissect and evaluate.
If followers of the game have been struggling with the wait - made all the worse because of the contrast with the fast and often instant world we now live in - just imagine how edgy the players must be. England and Fiji are, at last, kicking off at Twickenham this morning.
In just two days, it is the All Blacks' turn.
The Rugby World Cup has grown from a small, little hyped event in 1987 to a major international sporting tournament. It is dwarfed by the likes of the Olympics or the Football World Cup, but it is big and growing bigger nonetheless.
Over the next six weeks and 48 games, sports fans will be able to revel in the contests, sweat over the injuries, argue over selections and make their predictions. Once again, sport will provide a welcome distraction from cares and troubles.
Once again, it will enthral, annoy, delight and bore in various measures. Once again, it will culminate in the thrill of success or the mortification of failure.
As usual, the All Blacks are strong favourites, and justifiably so. They have the experience, the stars, the depth and the tradition. What they do not have, though, is the history of winning the cup away from home, the closest they could manage being the last match stumble in South Africa in 1995.
They, like us, know the perils of knock out matches. Crucial referee calls, an inspired opponent, sickness, injury, an intercept try or just being off their game a little and the All Blacks could go the way of their predecessors in overseas world cups.
One loss from the quarterfinals on and all the phenomenal winning percentages count for nothing.
Will they be able to stop a South African or English rolling maul, will a crucial yellow card or sending off derail their momentum, will critical players limp off, will the goals be kicked?
The uncertainty of sport, its dramas and its exposure of character and skill under pressure all make it compelling to those who love a sporting contest.
There is also the debate about whether, coming from a weak pool, the All Blacks will be sufficiently battle hardened. Here, the example of the Highlanders and their victory in Super Rugby is perturbing.
They, in effect, had a long late series of must win knock out games and played them as underdogs. Yet, somehow, they grew tougher and tougher.
When two of England, Australia, Wales and Fiji emerge from the ''pool of death'', their players, tactics, skills will all have been thoroughly tested and strengthened.
They will know how to win under severe pressure, whereas the All Blacks, with perhaps the exception of Monday's Argentina match, will be underdone.
That pool certainly adds intense interest from the first match. Too often pool matches can be predictable walkovers.
That will not be the case for most of the Pool A games. And much as most New Zealanders would smile at an early exit, that would be a major shame for home interest in the event.
Can the All Blacks be the first team to win three World Cups? Can they be the first to win back to back? Can captain R. H. McCaw finish his career on top of the world?
Can D. W. Carter's body hold together and one of the great first five-eighths play an influential role on the greatest stage. His last hurrah in black could well be something special.
Once again, much as many of us will enjoy the battles of the World Cup, and whether the All Blacks crash or triumph, it is worth remembering sport is always only a game.
Compared with refugee crises or Chilean earthquakes, the results really do not matter. Let us enjoy the World Cup for all it is worth, while at the same time keeping it in perspective.
