Why did it take the Wallabies an hour to wake up?

1 Wallabies, All Blacks expose each others’ shortcomings. A wild Bledisloe Test in Sydney didn’t lack for drama, but the Wallabies must be asking themselves why it took them an hour to wake up against an All Blacks team they know now to have some major issues. The Wallabies were outright poor in the first half, and it was their inability to carry out the basics and offer any sort of line speed that allowed the All Blacks to look so good. Yet, all it took was some strong carries in that second half and the All Blacks’ resistance melted away with an ease that will set alarm bells ringing in New Zealand. In that spell, the Wallabies produced their best rugby since the beginning of the Georgia Test, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Brandon Paenga-Amoso showing a tantalising glimpse of where this team can get to. But the Rugby Championship table doesn’t lie: with one round to go South Africa and Argentina are playing for the title, while Australia and New Zealand are out of it.

2 Changes needed for Wellington rematch: The Nic White selection didn’t work, the Wallabies need at least one out-and-out bruiser in the second row, and Marika Koroibete continues to look like a shadow of his former self. Joe Schmidt has some relatively straightforward remedies available at the selection table to improve the Wallabies’ overall performance, with the hooker spot also sure to come under scrutiny. Any changes will be irrelevant if the Wallabies aren’t more aggressive from the outset, but Schmidt must at least be encouraged by seeing some evidence that the Wallabies’ ceiling looks higher than it did in that thrashing in Santa Fe. Salakaia-Loto’s 24-minute cameo was superb. It is extremely difficult to manufacture a genuine physical presence in the Test arena, and it usually takes players up to five years to nail that particular role. But at 28 years old, Salakaia-Loto should be entering his prime.

3 Welcome back BPA. A genuine big body in the No 2 jersey with an ability to hit his lineout targets sounds almost too good to be true for Wallabies fans after recent years, but Paenga-Amosa made a superb return to the Wallabies jersey in Sydney. The fact that he has returned to Australia from France via the Force should be loudly celebrated: this is exactly the sort of role the Force should be playing in the bigger picture. Paenga-Amosa is the future of the Wallabies’ No 2 jersey if he uses Saturday as the starting point.

4 Fiji bulldoze Eddie’s rebuild: Eddie Jones’ Japan suffered a chastening 41-17 loss to Fiji in the final of the Pacific Nations Cup in Osaka on Saturday, a performance that shows his new project has a long way to go. Fiji, heavily populated by Drua players, ran over the top of Japan literally and figuratively despite a brilliant solo try by the Brave Blossoms’ Australian midfielder Dylan Riley. The difference in power between the two nations was evident and the Fijians look far more ready for the Nations Championship in 2026 than the Japanese. Japan are now 14th in the world and falling while Fiji are ninth, one spot ahead of the Wallabies. Fiji’s No 10 Caleb Muntz was also superb, showing what the Drua missed this year as he made his way back from a serious knee injury.

5 Springboks finally run out of luck: South Africa couldn’t stage another great escape against Argentina, losing 29-28 as replacement playmaker Manie Libbok dragged a simple penalty wide of the posts in the final stages.

However, they arguably lost the game in the first half and it is becoming increasingly clear that they are struggling with attack coach Tony Brown’s more adventurous approach. Halfback Cobus Reinach produced an over-the-head kick – a Brown specialty – to no one in the first half, and the looser style of play suited Los Pumas, whose backs have been razor sharp this year.