He's clearly not prepared to tempt fate but Teflon John Key's obviously quietly confident the AB's will be there in the final of the rugger World Cup later this month.

Initially he'd talked about going to Britain for the final, if we were still in the competition. Now he's bitten the bullet and is going to the northern hemisphere anyway and there's little doubt the tickets to the final have already been bought.

He obviously didn't want to take his optimism too far though. In the press statement announcing his trip to Marrakech, Brussels and London he said he'd be attending trade and tourism events in the British capital and as something of an afterthought, said he'd be going to a few All Black matches in the latter stages of the Rugby World Cup.

Yeah right! The whole purpose of the trip is to go to the rugger.

At least these things are better and more blatantly planned than they once were.

Travelling in Europe with Key's Tory predecessor, the great helmsman Jim Bolger during the 1991 World Cup, incredibly rugby hadn't been included in the schedule.

In something of a last minute decision, Bolger decided to divert his RNZAF plane from Paris to Cardiff Arms Park to lend support to the ABs after the reigning champions were knocked out of the final by Australia.

They were playing Scotland just two days after the match but managed to pull it off, taking what was a disappointing third place in the tournament. Despite the relative low level playoff, it was a great was to get to see a game.

The Bolger entourage were swept in a siren wailing motorcade from the tarmac, through the parting crowds, to a pub right next to, and overlooking The Park.

The tables were groaning with food and beer and once the stomachs were satisfied we were filed into the front row seats for the match.

At least Key isn't as hands on with the ABs, providing he's not shaking Ritchie's that is, as Bolger was.

It was said at the time he was something of a jinx, visiting the boys in the changing rooms and offering them advice before a match.

But then his chief advisor in the Beehive at the time was the first victorious World Cup captain David Kirk.

While Key's in London he naturally enough will have an audience with The Queen and a private dinner with David Cameron.

Given England's performance in this tournament though, rugby won't be on the menu but pork just might be!