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Excluding the Rugby World Cup, the Six Nations and Rugby Championship are the two premier international tournaments in world rugby.
Which tournament provides the best competition has always been a great source of debate, the Europeans will readily tell you that their tournament has greater tradition, a longer history, is more competitive and therefore holds more value than the Southerners can muster.
Granted, with the recent inclusion of Argentina to the Rugby Championship, the history of the Rugby Championship is a short one. You may also argue that it is less competitive as New Zealand have won all three instalments in its short history.
What is not debatable though, is the quality of the rugby and the teams participating to make it the grandest spectacle of rugby you will find anywhere on earth. Again, this might be disputed by our rugby rivals up north.
Be that as it may, this weekend sees the opening instalment where New Zealand will take on England, Australia will take on Wales, Argentina will take on Scotland and South Africa will take on the reigning Six Nation Champions Ireland.
The opening salvos that will be fired this weekend is of utmost importance to all these teams, you may argue that I am stating the obvious as this will be the last tour up north before the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand, South Africa and Australia all boast a superior record over each of the Six Nations teams. Only Argentina who lags behind, although they do have a superior record over Scotland and Italy.
England will be hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, they will see themselves as one of the favourites to win the tournament. New Zealand, South Africa and Australia will need to work as a collective to break down England this November.
This coming weekend will also set the tone for the coming month, and a good start is vital to strike a mental blow to each of these teams. In Afrikaans we have a saying “Goed begin is half gewin” meaning a good start is half the battle won.
The truth is that much about rugby is mental, the top two inches if you will, and it is the mental side of England that must be attacked.
After facing New Zealand, England will face South Africa next. If New Zealand manages to beat them, their confidence will take a knock. If South Africa manages to beat Ireland this weekend, they will go into their England match with their tails in the air against an England team whose confidence would have been given a knock.
By the time Australia meet them, they could well be facing an England coach and team filled with self-doubt. A win over England will cause Stuart Lancaster to question his tactics, his selections and his players.
Potentially the best possible outcome for the Rugby Championship teams prior to the Rugby World Cup as New Zealand, South Africa and especially Australia do not want England going into the Rugby World Cup with a succession of wins over them.
Regardless of where Wales find themselves currently, Warren Gatland will use their semi-final placing in the previous Rugby World Cup as inspiration for 2015, Australia will be first up and must continue their recent domination of Wales.
For Australia to travel the path of least resistance through the Rugby World next year, it will be vital that they win their pool. The alternate route is fraught with danger as they are almost guaranteed to meet South Africa in a quarter final match in which they will be hell bent on exacting revenge.
If they do manage to eliminate South Africa they will have a repeat semi-final against New Zealand which as has proven last time, is likely to be a bridge too far.
New Zealand will be Wales’ opponent the week prior to South Africa meeting them, and both these teams can put the final nails into the Welsh coffin and thereby put a big dent in the aspirations of Wales to progress out of the group of death.
Ireland as the reigning champions of the Six Nations will be chomping at the bit to hand South Africa their first defeat on European soil since 2010. Their own aspirations of doing well in the upcoming World Cup will gain a lot of validation if they do manage to put one over the number two ranked team in the world.
The only other Rugby Championship team they will meet during November is Australia. If the result goes in favour of Ireland, then it will only enhance their credentials for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Other than that, there isn’t any other opportunities to peg Ireland back.
France is in turmoil, sadly Scotland can no longer be called the dark horse at the Rugby World Cup and Italy have little chance of progressing further than the pool rounds.
Even though Scotland and France have a realistic chance to progress through to the quarter finals, their current form would suggest that is about as far as they would go.
New Zealand, South Africa and Australia have the opportunity to ‘tag team’ Wales and England. These bruising encounters can serve to demoralise them and send their coaching staff back to the drawing board before next year.
The physicality, pace and power of Southern Hemisphere rugby, laced with an altogether more adventurous Springbok team, a more physical Wallaby team and the all-encompassing All Black team should combine well to soften the European bones, starve their lungs of the necessary oxygen and generate excessive lactic acid in their muscles.
They can stack the odds in their favour to provide two Southern Hemisphere finalists for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and it is all going to start this coming weekend.
If they fail to assert their dominance and offer any glimmer of hope to England and Wales, we might have a repeat of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. There Australia, South Africa and New Zealand found themselves all on the same side of the draw, and had to eliminate each other.
The Rugby World Cup final has only once been contested between two teams from the Southern Hemisphere. Whether you want to blame the draw, shock results or fate, it is time for the Rugby Championship teams to not only dominate between world cups, but also during.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.