Britain is on a high with Andy Murray breaking the men's singles drought at Wimbledon and the Lions returning home victorious. Whether a team represents Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England, it's great to be British these days.
Will the Black Ferns bring the British down to earth?
The test series between the English women's rugby team and the Black Ferns will kick off this Saturday. The Black Ferns have played England 19 times for 11 wins, a draw and seven losses.
The battles against England will always be some of the highest, lowest and most thrilling memories of my career. My first game as captain was against England in 1997, and beating the women in white 67-0 at Burnham Army Camp was a great start.
A year later, we faced England again at the inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup. Although we respected each other, there was no love lost between us on game day.
The semifinal in Amsterdam was the first of four occasions England and the Black Ferns would face off at the World Cup. Every four years, the points differential has decreased (33 points in 1998, 10 points in 2002, eight points in 2006 and three points in 2010).
The 2006 final was an example of how intense this rivalry can be. Eighty minutes had passed on the clock and we were leading by only three points. The referee signalled we were in injury time and England had the ball.
It was do or die for us and somehow someone managed to make a tackle and win the ruck. I dragged my exhausted body out of the ruck and saw Amiria Rule bowl over their cover defender to score in the far corner, sealing the win over England and our third World Cup victory.
The victories haven't all been one way, though. England dished out our first defeat in 10 years in 2001 in gut-wrenching style with a 75m try in the dying minutes of the second test at North Harbour Stadium to win 22-17.
Since 2009, the tide has shifted in England's favour. Six of the seven losses experienced by New Zealand occurred on English soil in the past four years, including the biggest loss in our history.
England players to shine against the Black Ferns in 2012, and named for this series, include Marlie Packer, Emily Scarratt and Katie McLean.
Unfortunately, the English will be without 2006 IRB player of the year Maggie ''The Machine'' Alphonsi, and the crowd won't get to see Heather Fisher's storming runs or Jo Watmore's freakish ability to break tackles, due to injuries these players sustained at last month's Sevens World Cup in Moscow.
Both squads will have players fresh from the sevens, so it will be great to see how members of the triumphant New Zealand squad - Kelly Brazier, Renee Wickliffe, Selica Winiata and rising star Portia Woodman - transition to the 15s game.
Experienced players such as Emma Jensen, Casey Robertson, Justine Lavea, vice-captain Victoria Grant and captain Fiao'o Fa'amausili have witnessed both success and defeat against England.
Add to that mix promising players of the likes of Rawinia Everitt, Chelsea Alley, Mele Hufanga and Charmaine McMenamin, who will be keen for an opportunity to test their skills against New Zealand's greatest rival, and the scene is set for a good tussle.
Players on both sides will do their utmost to send a strong message to competitors with the fifth Women's Rugby World Cup just around the corner. With pride and bragging rights on the line, there is no doubt this series will be a battle of the big guns in women's rugby. Bring it on.
