KEY POINTS:
Things began unpromisingly at Murrayfield yesterday with the lights out for the national anthems.
What with Flower of Scotland ringing out and an RAF helicopter hovering above the ground to mark Remembrance Day, Murray Mexted started banging on about Braveheart.
Right country, just a few centuries out. Indeed,
if William Wallace had access to a couple of Chinooks when he had his dander up, Britain would now be a rather different place.
If you quietly hoped to get through the All Blacks' win over Scotland without hearing much about Wayne Barnes, you had no chance.
It was a no-brainer that the referee fingered by many - not in this particular chair, but by many - as the All Blacks' quarter-final executioner at last year's World Cup would get plenty of airtime.
It took the English lawyer three minutes to announce himself, sin-binning Scottish back Nick de Luca.
Okay, it was blatantly cynical, but once you do that so early, you've marked your own card.
And so it was that he evened things up before halftime when Anthony Boric got his 10-minute sit down, and fair enough too.
That Boric-free period leading up to halftime probably decided the match. The Scots couldn't get through the 14-man All Blacks, and you knew what would happen in the second half.
The hosts gave it a real lash, their scrum was terrific, they threw the ball about enterprisingly - when did you last say that about the Scots - but still lost four tries to none, often for the lack of the vital final touch.
And figure this out: how can you spend a staggering 23 minutes inside the opponents' 22 and not cross their line once?
That statistic raises a couple of questions: what would have happened had the All Blacks been in Scotland's 22 for the same amount of time; and second, if the All Blacks, who trailed substantially in both territory and possession, were able to defend resiliently, what about the rest of their game?
The Scots might well wake up today and wonder how they'd let slip so many opportunities, but you can't fault the All Blacks for their staunchness and ability to take their chances. They chose 35 players for this expedition, and injuries to Isaia Toeava and Andy Ellis produced the best comment of the game from Grant Nisbett.
Nisbett's an old pro, a survivor of the days when All Blacks went overseas with 30 players for proper tours. (Kids, that's not a misprint. The All Blacks really did used to play two games a week for several weeks on tours with only 30 players.)
So the wise old head was moved to ponder aloud whether "they'll call for replacements or guts it out with 33" for the remaining three games of the Grand Slam.
The International Rugby Board has been tinkering with the laws on the breakdown, ruck and scrum feeds again, but best not bother trying to understand it. You'll have just got the hang of them, if you're lucky, and they'll jiggle them round once more.
That's where league and soccer have it all over rugby.
You didn't need to intently peruse the rule book while watching the Kiwis turn a potential belting into a 12-point win over England in Newcastle, or Arsenal holding off Manchester United in a ripsnorting contest in north London.
The league folk kept saying the game didn't really matter; these two will tango again this weekend for the right to meet Australia in the World Cup final.
That's fine. But right now, Kangaroo coach Ricky Stuart could do a Graham Henry and rework his whole team and still canter to the title, the gap between the Aussies and their only two rivals being not so much a gulf as an ocean.
But the best entertainment of the weekend came at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal won with a corking goal from Frenchman Samir Nasri. In a season which has produced some scintillating contests, this topped the lot.
The clubs haven't always been the best of chums, so well done Sir Alex Ferguson for conceding "sometimes you have to hold your hands up. If you are going to be beat, be beat by a team that plays good football."
Arsenal aren't to everyone's liking, but Ferguson's assessment? Bang on.
What to watch: All Blacks vs Ireland
If it's November it must be Grand Slam time again. This time it's Ireland on Sunday morning. (Live on Sky Sport 1.) Cue another week of rotation, talking up the opposition etc. But the appetiser is the Kiwis vs England, round two on Saturday night. And this time it does count. The losers hit the beach, the winners face the Kangaroos. Tough choice.
Weekend winner: Two - Manu Vatuvei and Arsenal
Had it not been for the big winger's four-try bundle the Kiwis would have been in the doghouse. But don't you wish he'd hold the ball in both hands on the run-ins to the line. There's a Minties moment coming up there. And if Arsenal go on to win the premier league title, they might look back on yesterday's 2-1 win over Manchester United as pivotal. A draw would have been fairer, but that's footy. It was a nailbiter, could have produced a bag of goals, but was won with an absolute dazzler.
