Amid all the talk and hype about the final All Black test at the old ground, the game seems to have almost faded into the background.
It has all been about memories and festivities, but for 80 minutes tonight the focus will switch back to 30 men in the middle.
The All Blacks will start the hottest of favourites and to them it will be more about performance on the park rather than the numbers on the scoreboard.
These early tests are seen as a dress rehearsal to later more serious and taxing clashes, but getting things right on the paddock has not been lost on All Black captain Richie McCaw.
"It is the last time to play here so there is a bit of significance here. But it is not a huge deal. It is a game, we have to go out and perform and it is a rugby field," McCaw said.
"But it will be pretty cool to be part of the game out there."
It will be the first time McCaw has captained the All Blacks at Carisbrook, and he will want to stop a rot that has seen the side lose its last two tests on the ground.
The Springboks won a nail-biter in 2008, and the French beat an inexperienced All Blacks side last year.
But it is hard to see the All Blacks slipping to a third straight loss. They exploded out of the blocks last week against the Irish and will want to maintain that focus tonight.
The Welsh finished fourth in the Six Nations, and though they always lift when taking on the All Blacks, they may struggle to match the All Blacks' pace tonight.
The visiting side, though, can take encouragement out of its last effort, when it lost 34-31 to the Springboks in Cardiff two weeks ago.
McCaw said he expected the Welsh to play to the style they had fashioned in the northern hemisphere.
"They've had the ability to use the ball and obviously that is how they have wanted to play the game. It is up to us to limit those opportunities and create our own.
"I think both teams will go out there and make their intentions pretty clear. and hopefully it will be a decent night to make that possible."
Wales went close to the All Blacks last year in Cardiff, with the visitors only winning 19-12, but that was a tired All Black team playing on a ground not fit for a dairy herd.
Carisbrook - provided the heavens do not open - is a glass-like surface and the All Blacks will have the conditions to move the ball around.
They have spoken all week of wanting to use the new rules to make the most of attacking opportunities.
But McCaw warned the team was not happy to concede four tries against the Irish and will want to stiffen its defence.
"I suppose you've got to put the defence in context. But a couple of them were too soft and you would not want that to happen too regularly."
Pride in their line has always been a hallmark of the All Blacks and the side is aware sloppy errors will be more costly later in the season.
Better to eliminate them now rather than later in the year.
McCaw also added the Kapa O Pango haka, first displayed at Carisbrook in 2005, had not been shelved and the All Blacks were keeping it in reserve. Look out for it tonight along with some festivities after the game.
• The All Blacks were forced out of their accommodation at the Southern Cross Hotel late yesterday morning after an alarm activation at the hotel. There was nothing amiss, although McCaw later joked someone had burnt the toast.
