A chance of revenge for the All Blacks after a calamity four years ago, the All Black skipper bringing up 100 caps for the side, the French selecting a supposedly weakened side, the head coach having his whole career defined over the next month.
The stakes are high, but they should be as All Black coach Graham Henry put it yesterday: It has been billed as big and it will be.
This is a defining game for this All Black side. A statement game is ever there was one.
Go out and win convincingly, and the All Blacks will be right on the front foot with regard to the rest of the tournament and sending a message to other teams. Of all the other so-called heavyweights, it is probably only the Springboks which are finding their best form.
But - dare it be spoken - if the All Blacks lose tonight, there will no doubt be many of those lines trotted out about a defeat not mattering, but coming out wrong on the scoreboard will put the jitters through the country, and the team.
The All Blacks have been slow working into their season, and have the added motivation of wanting to perform well in skipper Richie McCaw's 100th test.
McCaw said he was getting excited about bringing up his century of games, but he had not lost sight of the bigger picture.
"Putting the personal stuff aside, it is a big game anyway. It adds a little bit to it, but I am just really excited to get out there and play in it," McCaw said.
"If I were going to pick a game to play and an opposition to play in it, then it would be a pretty good choice. It is exciting for a whole host of reasons. From my point of view the first thing is to make sure the team goes out and wins the game."
McCaw himself will have to put in one of his better efforts after a year where he has slipped from the peak of last season's sublime form.
He looked to be running back into stride with a win at Eden Park against the Australians early last month, but the loss to the same side in Brisbane later that month threw a spanner into the works.
The skipper had received plenty of messages congratulating him on his achievement, including from the likes of former Wallabies, George Gregan and Phil Waugh, but the century mark will be quickly forgotten if the side walks off Eden park tonight having been beaten.
McCaw knows that - the thing now is to go out and make it a good memory, so the determination from the side will not be wanting.
But determination only goes so far. Execution and precision is what is needed.
The All Blacks have named a full-strength side, minus the injured Kieran Read, and need to play a game similar to other performances they have shown at Eden Park in recent years.
Australia in 2008, South Africa in 2010, the Lions in 2005, where the forwards just totally blew the opposition away and the backs ran hard, and took every chance that came along.
Eden Park has been a fortress for the team in the past 17 years - 23 wins in a row - and big wins, over all the major teams.
France was the last team to beat the All Blacks on Eden Park, in 1994, and would love to do so again.
The match is the fifth between the teams at the World Cup, with two wins each, and is the 50th test between the countries. The All Blacks lead that tally with 36 wins, France has 12, and there has been one draw.
The weather forecast for Auckland tonight is for cloud and light winds.
New Zealand v France
Eden Park, tonight, 8.30.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
TAB odds: All Blacks $1.08, France $7.
All Blacks: Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Richard Kahui, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Adam Thomson, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Andrew Hore, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Anthony Boric, Andy Ellis, Colin Slade, Sonny Bill Williams.
France: Damien Traille, Vincent Clerc, Aurelien Rougerie, Maxime Mermoz, Maxime Medard, Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili, Louis Picamolos, Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Lionel Nallet, Pascal Pope, Luc Ducalcon, Dimitri Szarzeivski, Jean-Baptiste Poux. Reserves: William Servat, Fabien Barcella, Julien Pierre, Imanol Harinordoquy, Francois Trinh-Doc, Fabrice Estebanez, Cedric Heymans.