First impressions usually make a big impact.
Well after the opening weekend of games at the World Cup one thing has become clear - there is no clear favourite in this competition.
The heavyweights have looked good at times. But they have also looked ordinary on occasions.
The All Blacks had a great first half and a forgettable second, the Australians were the opposite, while the French went to sleep for periods in the second half against the Japanese.
The other big sides have struggled at times and no obvious winner is standing out.
It is not like 1995 when the All Blacks looked far and away the best team.
But hang on, the All Blacks did not win the tournament.
That is the thing about tournament play and which is sometimes hard to stomach.
The best team does not necessarily win the big prize.
But what has become clear with most sides having very well organised defences is that it is going to come down to a piece of individual brilliance and X-factor players.
Who has the most of them?
Probably New Zealand and Australia.
But New Zealand had the greatest X-factor player of them of all in 1995 with Jonah Lomu.
And it still ended up not winning the tournament.
Marvellous minors
The lesser lights appear to have improved greatly, and it would be hard to see a century of points being raised by any side in this tournament.
The way rugby is now with the emphasis on attacking, and advantage for the team with the ball, the minors can compete on a more even level.
It is easier now to hang on to the ball and deprive the team with more talent of scoring as many points.
Teams have left 10-man rugby behind, got better, and decided to spin it wide.
Great night
Whatever your take on the new stadium, to be there on Saturday night was a great experience.
When the Pumas came out to warm up the noise from their supporters was deafening. They kept up that din all game and it made for a wonderful occasion.
Imagine what would have happened if they had won.
The stadium is just the right size and shape.
A full Eden Park is hard to beat but still has that piecemeal look about it.
Those that attended on Saturday night will not forget it in a hurry.
Is it too much to dream of a possible Bledisloe Cup match there one day ?
Bin it
The English playing performance was at least better than the new black jerseys the players wore.
The numbers peeled off the back of most of them. By halfway through the game players were hard to distinguish from each other.
With 21 support staff you would think at least one of them would have made sure the numbers stuck on the back.
Just get rid of them. Did the same guy who dreamt up the Telecom abstain ad come up with these black jerseys ?
Worm burner
Chris Paterson has played more than 100 tests for Scotland and scored more than 750 points. But he surely has not hit a ball any worse than an attempted conversion on Saturday in Invercargill. The ball fell over just as he was about to kick it and Paterson ended up kicking it along the ground. Classy stuff, that.
Questions
1. Argentina achieves at golf, football, basketball, hockey, rugby, the list goes on. Is there a better sporting nation on earth ?
2. That 90 seconds before kick-off. Does it feel like 900 seconds?
3. Sonny Bill Williams coming off the bench ? Or Isaia Toeava riding the pine ? No contest surely.