So what do you know - appoint the world's best referee to take the whistle, and suddenly, for the first time in the Tri-Nations season, we see a game that has 15 players against 15 for the entire 80 minutes and hardly a controversy to speak of.
Just why Jonathan Kaplan was not appointed to referee the Super 14 final in May only those who make the appointments will know. Maybe it was because, as some have suggested to me, Kaplan has started to get too self-important - but that was certainly not the impression he gave in Christchurch on Saturday.
If ever a referee was firm but also unobtrusive it was Kaplan in this game. There were no childish yellow cards, no signs of any panic, he was always up with the play, and while there will always be marginal calls involving forward passes, it is hard to recall a significant one that he got wrong.
Kaplan's refereeing played a significant part in making Saturday's match one of the better Test matches of the season. So did the improved discipline of the two teams, but then the improved discipline might have been a direct result of the players being happy with a referee who was clear about what he wanted and appears to command their respect.
South African players, when I ask them, invariably bring up Kaplan's name when I ask which referee they respect the most. When you have a good ref, there is less frustration, it's as simple as that... and the Christchurch game proved it.
What it also proved is that the All Blacks can defend as well as they can attack. And the way they successfully played the territory game in the second half when the Australians were dominating possession also sent out a reminder of one of the big reasons why New Zealand look like a team with a plan this year whereas last year, against the Boks at least, they looked like a panicked rabble.
Dan Carter was prevented by injury from participating in last year's Tri-Nations until the last few weeks. When he did return he was clearly rusty, and the only time he faced the Boks was in the last match in Hamilton, where the difference between the teams was the massive penalty kicks struck by Frans Steyn.
Now that he is back he is showing why so many rate him as the world's most valuable player. He did make a mistake, and it led to Australia's only try, but he promptly made up for it by producing a gem of a little chip and gather that set up New Zealand's second try four minutes later.
Carter is so many light years ahead of last year's All Black No.10 Stephen Donald that it seems pointless to even go into the comparison. One is a world class player, the other should not have been playing international rugby - let's just leave it at that.
Carter's ability to make the right decisions, to vary play and to control the game when it is necessary to do so with the boot is what makes New Zealand a much more complete team than they were 12 months ago.
That is not to say, though, that there weren't aspects of these last two Bledisloe Cup matches that can't be regarded as a glimmer of hope for the Boks. It comes in the form of the mistakes that both Australia and New Zealand made in trying to force their quick tempo game that led to points for the opposition in both matches.
The All Blacks gave some soft tries away in Melbourne last week and another in Christchurch as Kurtley Beale took maximum advantage of Carter's surrendering of possession when on attack deep in Australian territory.
The All Black defence was magnificent in the second half and they did not make too many mistakes during that period, but in the first half both teams did look like their orientation towards all out attack might just make them ripe for the picking by a team that gets the tactical approach right.
For the Boks that obviously means getting the kicking game to be more accurate than it was on tour and for them to stop missing so many first time tackles, something which was disturbing in that it could be a reflection of bad attitude and a vindication of those who claim there is dissension in the ranks.
One thing I am almost certain of is this - if the All Blacks and Australia get too carried away with their frenetic, all action approach on the Highveld, the rarified atmosphere could reduce them to bubble-blowing lumps of lard long before the end of the 80 minutes.
There were times on Saturday when they looked tired - and they never had altitude to contend with.