Right, the talking is done, and the Rugby World Cup can finally kick off. And the first game between England and Fiji means a first look at Pool A, which to me is a ridiculous proposition that should not have been allowed to happen.
It is the hardest pool in World Cup history -- four of the top nine countries in the world in one group. The people in charge of this tournament have not thought that one out, and it is craziness. It doesn't just affect those big countries with aspirations of going all the way in the tournament, it also affects the viewing figures and general interest in the World Cup. The organisers are going to lose a lot of interest in the tournament after that group finishes because one of Wales, Australia or England is going out, and that is three huge fanbases. There doesn't appear to have been a lot of thought gone into it.
Anyway, rant over, let's shift attention to the opening game itself. England have got to start with intensity, like they did against Ireland in their final warm-up game at Twickenham earlier this month. They raced into a lead in that match and overwhelmed Ireland, the Six Nations champions, in the first 20 minutes. If they carry on in that vein, they have a very good chance of winning this group.
In any opening game, you have got to look inwards. The players know the expectation of the crowd and the country, so they have to avoid getting sidetracked by that. One thing they weren't very good at over in France a few weeks ago was playing for territory, but that changed massively against Ireland -- I thought George Ford at fly-half did a fantastic job in that. They need to have that balance again of where to play rugby, and that will be critical throughout this World Cup.
Keep playing territory and make Fiji play from deep: staying on the front foot and in Fiji's half will keep the crowd onside. Restarts and set pieces are critical as well, and England will be concentrating on winning their own ball and having a solid platform. That is key because I think other teams will target England at set pieces throughout the tournament.
One thing England won't do is underestimate Fiji, but they need to concentrate on their own performance, and trust in the patterns that have made them so dangerous. Fiji have been together two and a half months, they've lived and breathed rugby, and they're in some shape. They're quick, their interplay is good, they can break the gainline. Where England have the edge is their stamina in the last 25 minutes -- keep themselves ahead going into that period, and England should have enough in the tank to finish them off.
In terms of the squad selection, you always see people come through that you wouldn't expect. Take the team that I was part of when England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003 -- the 15 starters in the final weren't all first-choices when we first came together, but people played themselves into the World Cup and performed differently under pressure to some others.
In 2003, we had experience, which is key. Even in 2007, when England surprised everybody by reaching the final again, the team had experience, which is crucial. That side had a string of losses but they still had consistency in selection, and more importantly they had a lot of experience -- so when things went pear-shaped in the group stages with a 36-0 thrashing by South Africa, England could draw on that experience.
Coach Stuart Lancaster has settled this squad and team since the chaos of 2011, which is what they needed, but they lack that experience. He's been hampered by so many injuries, but what that has done is given him the opportunity to try other players, and by hook or by crook, I think that last game against Ireland actually looked like a good, exciting side.
They've got a lot of potential, what they don't have is consistency and experience, or even game time together. But that is the benefit of Lancaster having his side together for a while -- he now knows who the leaders are in that team, who performs well when fatigued and who handles themselves best under serious pressure.
That's why I think Sam Burgess is there: it isn't the fact he's proven himself at international level in rugby union, that's for sure. He is a good player, but to then have to leave someone out like Luther Burrell must be frustrating. However, it could be that Burgess has been a good leader off the pitch. If he gets his chance off the bench against Fiji, we'll start to find out just how big an impact he can have.