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Super Rugby started last weekend but the aspect of the competition which will define Australian participation begins on Sunday morning in Port Elizabeth of all places, when the Western Force visit the new Southern Kings.
Playing offshore, combating the different conditions and tactical approaches of two other countries are aspects that are unique to Super Rugby among mainstream Australian sports.
None of the other sporting codes in this country require the travel load of Super Rugby, with the physical and logistical constraints it adds to match preparation.
This of course grows even further in the Rugby Championship now that Argentina has been added to the list.
The Southern Kings’ maiden appearance will be the first competition game for the year played by an Australian side against one of the South African or New Zealand sides.
Being successful both overseas and when playing these teams at home is critical if an Australian side is to win the competition.
The conference format that is now applied has distorted the significance of the ‘international’ games to some extent.
It has done this by providing the opportunity to pick up the dropped points against more familiar ‘home’ opposition, while also ensuring that Australian participation in the finals is guaranteed via winning the Australian conference.
Even so, history shows that very few teams have been able to win the tournament after finishing outside of the top qualifying positions – these being first and second on the final table.
Look at the Sharks last year. They performed brilliantly at the business end, upsetting Queensland in Brisbane before flying back to beat the South African conference winners, the Stormers, in Cape Town.
But the travel ultimately beat them. Because the Sharks then had to trip back through ten time zones to Hamilton a week after they had travelled to and from Brisbane.
This gave the Chiefs an advantage in the final they ruthlessly exploited.
So the international games remain important. Winning them is the key to qualifying on top after the round robin.
The concern in all of this is that it is not an area where we have collectively done too well recently, save for 2011 when the Queensland Reds won games in both New Zealand and South Africa on their way to winning the title.
Playing against the New Zealand and South African teams is something that is discussed routinely, both internally and whenever the players from the various provinces are together in the national set-up.
Notes are compared with regards to the various approaches taken to the travel. Tactics to counter the different teams, and their key players, are discussed, with ideas shared.
Ominously, Australian teams fared badly playing Kiwi opposition through the trials.
Although the warm ups are exercises in practice, with different combinations and tactical approaches trialled, winning is still a habit – especially against opposition who are not routinely beaten.
The Kiwis know this, which is why a number of their teams were prepared to kick penalty goals during the trials, in order to make sure they won them!
This attitudinal ruthlessness might also explain why they, alongside the South Africans, were so dominant at the business end of last year.
In 2012, Australian teams only won four matches against sides that finished in the top six, and one of those was the Western Force beating the Queensland Reds.
The Waratahs beat the Sharks, the Reds beat the Chiefs, while the Rebels caused probably the upset of the year when they brought down the Crusaders.
For all of last year’s hype around the Brumbies, they didn’t beat a single side that finished in the top six.
These are statistics that will have to change this year if Australia is to provide another Super Rugby winner.
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.