Last year these two sides produced a memorable denouement to the Tri-Nations at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. A sublime try from Bobby Skinstad in the last 10 minutes clinched the match and the title for South Africa.
Twelve months later at Newlands the battle for the wooden spoon was resolved by a missed Matt Burke penalty. On the basis of this encounter New Zealand, champions for the third time in four years of this competition, inhabit a different rugby universe.
Australian coach Rod Macqueen summed it up most eloquently: "I don't want to take any credit away from South Africa, but we played badly. Our performance was thoroughly inept, one of our worst ever and we are very disappointed." Those with long memories may recall how patchy Australian rugby was before Mark Ella reinvented the art of out-half play in the early 1980s.
This was a reversion to the bad old days but it could have been so different. In the first minute of the match the Wallabies took the ball powerfully through several phases and had five players gathered five metres from the South African line with not a Springbok in sight. Ben Tune chose that moment to throw his pass forward and down and the moment was gone.
With Springbok morale at an all-time low, an early score might well have sent them spinning to a record-equalling fifth successive test defeat. But Tune's error let them breathe again and gradually their forward superiority began to tell.
Recalled out-half Jannie de Beer had plenty of ball to work with, even if his service from Joost van der Westhuizen was some way short of Test class.
De Beer chose to kick most of it away but, in common with the rest of the kickers on the day, found a stiff southerly breeze almost impossible to tame. Both teams missed touch frequently and within a very few minutes whatever subtleties that may have existed in either game plan were replaced with old-fashioned up and unders.
At half-time it was 3-3 and, but for Tune's squandered opportunity, neither tryline had been seriously threatened. It was perhaps fitting that the one piece of quality build-up play from the Springboks should settle the match.
Rassie Erasmus took the ball at the lineout and the Springboks carried it through seven phases to the brink of the Wallaby tryline. The penultimate phase was a typical van der Westhuizen close-quarter charge and when he was held up centimetres short he was able to present the ball for centre Robbie Fleck to find room for an arm between a pile of twisted Australian limbs. De Beer's conversion from a tricky angle made the try worth seven points.
Burke's third penalty narrowed the gap to one point, but with time running out his fourth attempt, 40 metres and straight, was caught by the wind and was pushed the wrong side of the upright.
But despite the win Springbok coach Nick Mallett was under no illusions: "Let's not flatter ourselves. It could have gone either way."
Scorers: South Africa: Try: Fleck. Conversion: De Beer. Penalty: De Beer. Australia: Penalties: Burke 3.
SOUTH AFRIFleck, Venter (Paulse 43), Rossouw; De Beer, Van der Westhuizen (capt); Du Randt (Le Roux 61), Drotskie, Visagie, Boome (Andrews 68), Van den Berg, Vos, Venter, Erasmus (Kruger 70).
AUSTRALIA: Burke; Tune, Herbert, Grey, Roff; Horan, Gregan; Kefu (Strauss 53), Wilson (capt), Harry (Noriega 56), Kearns, Blades, Giffin, Bowman, Cockbain. Referee: C Hawke (NZ)
Gary Teichmann has confirmed he will join Welsh Premier Division club Newport next season. The 32-year-old former South Africa captain flew to Wales earlier this week for talks with Rodney Parade chief executive Tony Brown.
The powerful number eight will link up with his new team-mates after completing his Currie Cup commitments with Natal Sharks.
Teichmann had been expected to captain his country in the World Cup before he was dropped following South Africa's 28-0 loss to Australia.
