Sonny Bill Williams© Hannah Peters/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the most overdue game in rugby's history will be played when the All Blacks take on Manu Samoa in Apia. To make the most of the home crowd and conditions the match is scheduled for a scorching 3pm on a day that was proclaimed a national holiday following the announcement of the fixture eight months ago.

Forty-five years after the great Bryan "Beegee" Williams became the first Samoan to pull the silver fern over his head, over 50 players of Samoan decent have worn the hallowed black jersey. Yet this week marks the first time New Zealand's senior rugby side will make the three-hour journey to the island that has helped bring them world-renown success. As a former teammate of mine eloquently put it: "The plane that has taken so many Samoan rugby players for New Zealand is finally returning with the All Blacks on it".

And, boy, is the nation of Samoa thrilled to finally be receiving them.

After such a noticeable absence, the All Blacks agreeing to play the USA Eagles - a team ranked seven places below Samoa - in Chicago last year was a kick to the teeth for the Pacific Island rugby community. The move left a bitter taste in the mouth of the international rugby community as well - those of us who fondly remember the days when rugby was administered in a way that wasn't all about the bottom line. From a World Rugby perspective, though, a game in America had it all. A relatively untapped, contact sport-loving population with huge commercial potential and money to burn.

An All Blacks tour of Samoa ticks none of those boxes. This match represents more important things in life than profitability and emerging markets. This game is about a love affair. For as long as Samoan players have donned the ebony jersey, 180,000 rugby-crazed inhabitants of the tiny island three thousand kilometres South East of New Zealand have been behind the men in black. Manu Samoa burst onto the scene beating Wales in Cardiff back at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, giving Samoans another team to cheer for, but even the most avid Manu Samoa supporter, many of the players too, will admit that the All Blacks were - and for a lot still are - their first love.

Hand-made All Blacks posters in Samoa© Hannah Peters/Getty Images

On paper, form, or any other way one cares to look at it, the home side go in as huge underdogs. Key injuries, retirements and the ongoing dispute between Samoan players and the Samoan Rugby Union means preparations leading into the match have been more disjointed than normal.

As fate would have it, the team ranked No.1 in the world face the dilemma of having half of their squad unavailable due to two Kiwi teams contesting the Super Rugby final. Add that to the bizarre decision the All Blacks have made to travel to Samoa two days before the test, just 48 hours to adjust from the harsh New Zealand winter to the 100 percent humidity in Samoa, the result may not be as forlorn as one might expect.

Terms like "respect for your opposition", "pride in the jersey" and "rugby was the true winner at the end of the day" are exhausted clichés in rugby journalism and I refuse to use them. Funnily enough this match is probably the most deserving of them all, rejuvenating hope that our great sport hasn't totally lost its soul in its quest for professionalism.

Many of the players who take the field will have grown up together either in Samoa or New Zealand. The Samoan public themselves are sure to be as fervent in their support for the Blacks as for the Blues, as a proud mother of two sons in opposing teams would be. Whatever the result, Samoa are set to celebrate the All Blacks' first visit like it is the last. For rugby's sake, I hope that isn't the case.