THE ALL-BLACK EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
When it comes down to it, are all our jobs the same?

I only ask this because there are plenty of times I meet people at games or in the office or in studio, and what they have to say is so interesting, I do a story on them.

So, all you school teachers out there, everytime you're talking to someone in the street, are you really sussing them out to see if they'll go in front of your class and tlk about their job, or their experiences, or where they're from, and so on? I remember a whole line-up of people who ended up addressing us when I was in school, most notably the Bomber Liston, and the then Clare hurling goalkeeper Eoghan Corry.

At The Bog bar, a teacher friend-of-a-friend, Nicola, begged me and a few of the Cork contingent to come into her class this morning and field questions on Ireland... apparently there was a 24-pack in it for us, which I have to say sounds like an interesting school. Sadly, none of us were brave enough to enter a room of inquiring 10-year-olds, though if I'm asked again I might just give in.

It was a big morning for primary schools in the Christchurch/Canterbury area. Today is Blackout Banner Day - where all the schools and businesses in the entire region are encouraged to put out black flags, banners and bunting to combat the growing sea of red that's emerging in the South Island's capital.

St Alban's Catholic School are the winners, entitled themselves to lots of sports gear and those all-important bragging rights.

A 7am start for me today as I have to nip across town to the Legends bar, from where TV New Zealand's breakfast show is broadcasting live.

After some uncannily accurate directions from a friendly checkout girl - "Cross the road at the Grumpy Mole, turn right at the Loaded Hog, and a quick left by Dick Smith's and you're there" - the show is in full swing, anchored by NZ's answer to Anne Diamond, Kay Gregory.

"I am in enemy territory totally here, Lions supporters everywhere. The atmosphere is so good, everybody wants to have a great holiday, and I'm hoping Auckland is going to enjoy it just as much when the Lions visit here in a few weeks," Kay says.

A couple of kilt-clad Scots fans impress the TV crew so much, they decide to follow the Caledonian boys around for the rest of the tour.

Notably, nealy all the Lions fans I speak to this morning belive the tourists WILL win.

The official match programmes are on sale in the shops here, and a quick visit to Canterbury Mags on the way back to Cathedral Square yields another interview, as it transpires the shopkeeper, Grant, was there the day Munster beat the All-Blacks in 1978.

The play based on that fateful day, Alone It Stands, has been touring New Zealand lately, and as Grant still has his match ticket and programme, decided to get them signed by the cast... except both valuabl documents have ben mislaid. For his sake, I hope he finds them again!

Across the Square, there's a 10am breakfast meeting with All-Blacks coach Graham Henry and skipper Tama Umaga.

"Tell Clive I'm really under pressure," quips the former Lions coach, as he admits defeat in the 2001 tour to Australia came about because "I wasn't touchy-feely enough with the players." That's one dressing-room we'd all be curious to be flies on the wall of....

Niall from Naas introduces himself at the Windsor Hotel, and out of his group, is the lucky one. A lot more of his friends have seen the final leg of their flight from Bangkok delayed by a day - they won't arrive in New Zealand until four hours before kick-off... if they're lucky.

Then comes an afternoon tour with Brent Pope, who has been entertaining us as a well-briefed TV pundit for almost 15 years now.

Forn the past few summers, Brent has been running a rugby academy outside Christchurch for 25 of the most-talented teenage players from across Ireland.

When they hear both myself and Oisin are from the general Youghal area, "Stormin' Norman" gets a namecheck from a couple of players from Bandon. There's a lad here too from Sligo as Popey bids to unearth talent that would otherwise be lost to Irish rugby.

That Conor McPhillips was a member of this academy, and has now gone on to be a full Ireland international shows that Brent has already done his job to perfection.

But he's not one to rest on his laurels. For the entire journey back into the city, the former St Mary's coach starts fizzing around ideas like champagne.

His big ambition is to introduce a sports academy to Ireland along the lines of one running here, where around a dozen promising athletes from individual sports, between the ages of 17 and 21, receive a healthy donation to help them compete on the world stage. Nothing ostentatious, just a foot-up and a helping hand.

As we all know, funding for Irish athletes is abysmal - the Irish system simply does not work, and when our under-funded hopefuls come back battered from Olympic Games and other events to widespread criticism, it makes my blood boil. Brent feels the same way - and he's got the connections to do something about it. He'll be getting plenty of publicity from me, that's for sure.

When you go somewhere abroad for the first time, you always notice something amazing that you just wish was the case in Ireland.

We passed one piece of parkland that had twenty rugby pitches, a couple of tennis courts, and about a dozen netball courts - all in the open air, no barriers or security, and yet, none of the netting or padding or facilities in general had been vandalised... no-one would think of doing it, you see.

When Brent remarks how Christchurch has 12 Olympic-size swimming pools - Ireland only has one - and how there's never really been an obesity or binge-drinking problem in New Zealand, you just realise how much being a go-getting nation of outdoor people really benefits. Over here, if they're short a sporting facility, they build it, no questions asked.

A different branch of Starbucks becomes my office today, and it's one favoured by the Irish members of the travelling party, as Ronan O'Gara, Paul O'Connell and Eddie O'Sullivan all pop in at different times to sit in a corner and relax. Oh, and they serve better mocha too.

When I nab Eddie at the 6:00 eve-of-match Lions briefing, he's full of enthusiasm for this beautiful friendly city, where the atmosphere has by this stage gone far beyond what you'd see on an All-Ireland weekend.

Is there a tingle of excitement? "Yes, there is. We've been here a few weeks now, but it's only in the last few days that we've seen that the build-up has eally gathered momentum. Huge numbers, lots of Lions supporters around, and that adds to the whole occasion. But it also adds a little bit more pressure, as a lot of people have come a long way looking for something to celebrate. It's all part of the razzmatazz, but we have to now focus on what happens for eighty minutes on the pitch - all the other stuff is peripheral - and we have to give the performance of our lives tomorrow night."

Sir Clive is his usual laid-back self, not particularly concerned with th weather that awaits, although the excitement of the huge occasion's getting to him maybe a litle bit too much: "I was walking around with my wife Ann earlier, and the juices were definitely flowing. Better not let her hear that, though!"

The press conference rounds off at Christchurch Town Hall around 7:00, with comedian Al Murray, the pub landlord, going out on stage at eight.

By this stage, I'm filing as many reports and interviews back to Ireland as I can - but 8pm in New Zealand is a dangerous time to on a computer.

That's 9am back home, and when all my friends are coming online at work. After dozens of emails bouncing back and forth - and somehow finishing all my work, which includes a chat with Real Radio in Wales - I struggle back to the hotel at 10 to change for the biggest night of anticipation and excitement Christchurch has ever seen.

But I make the big mistake of attempting a five-minute nap, and as soon as the head hits the pillow, zzzzzzzzzzzz...