What that meant was that the Aussies got a thumping, the New Zealanders got back some of their lost self belief and the spectators got a feast of attacking, inventive rugby.
And so with the tale of the boy who wastes his inheritance but gets a feast from his father, while his dutiful brother doesn't; or the one about the weeping whore who is worthier than her good, prim onlookers; or about the passionate Mary who is better than her hardworking sister Martha.
Add a vegan galette or some flatbread, roasted vegetables and a few dips and you've got a feast.
Top it with a Mitteleuropa mixture of dill and mint, chopped walnuts and a dash of paprika, and you've got a feast.
Add a glass of crisp, cold white wine, a vegetable salad, or maybe even just some sliced ripe tomatoes, and you've got a feast fit for an exotic vacation without having to leave home.
You can get a round feast table, too.
In the intervening years, British festivals have evolved, and cultural exploration is commonplace: you can get an Ottolenghi feast at Wilderness, play Zorb football at Secret Garden Party, take a philosophy lecture at Camp Bestival – in fact, you could probably watch a mime artist re-enact Go Set a Watchman at your local pub in 2015.
In the event that you're going to Baden Baden in Germany to see the opera Der Freischutz next week (nope, us neither), you'll get a chance to feast your eyes on costumes designed by our favourite double Dutch act, Viktor & Rolf.
Come Thanksgiving, make sure you head to Midtown Grill, where you can get a traditional turkey feast, complete with delicious cranberry gravy.
When he's on the scene you know what you're getting: a righteous feast of come-uppance sprinkled with a few one-liners and solid ancillary revenue for afters.
