The Springboks' 30-12 win over an injury-hit Wallabies in Perth poses more questions than answers for Australian fans.
Joe Schmidt's side did it tough at Optus Stadium with injuries playing their part and there's no denying South Africa's class, yet the same issues of ill-discipline reared their head when it mattered most.
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Here's what we learnt:
They’re not back-to-back world champions for nothing – and South Africa’s variety in play is becoming a real problem for rival sides.
Last week saw Springboks run riot on a fast Brisbane track with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Sacha-Feinberg Mngomezulu reigning supreme.
This week, it was a different outfit – 10 changes from the side that won 33-7 - and different style that delivered a similar bonus-point win.
The Boks played to conditions perfectly - super-sub Eben Etzebeth was monstrous in the wet after coming on early for captain Salman Moerat while Malcom Marx bagged two tries from the powerful rolling maul to anchor South Africa’s win.
The ability to shift from fast footy to traditional bash-em-up Bokke ball is a hallmark of the Rassie Erasmus era and, scarily, they’re getting better.
30-12 looks tough on paper but this Wallabies side should be commended for giving it absolutely everything in Perth.
Harry Wilson and Tom Wright summed it best in post-game on Stan Sport – Australia tried their hardest but just couldn’t win the big moments against the world’s best.
Let’s not forget that at full strength, the Wallabies trailed just 11-9 and should’ve lead from a regulation penalty goal attempt on the half time hooter.
But it was a different story after oranges as Angus Bell and Allan Alaalatoa (HIA) were sidelined before James Slipper (HIA) and Josh Nasser also fell foul of the injury gods.
It left Perth fans with a curious case of uncontested scrums in Test match rugby – but even that couldn’t help the battered Wallabies home.
Time to lick some wounds, count the injured and regroup for Argentina.
It’s almost cruel to pin Australia’s penalty woes on Seru Uru, who had some sharp moments with ball in hand on debut.
But Uru’s two offensive ruck penalties on debut were costly and his late yellow card for collapsing a Bokke maul had the dual outcome of ending his side’s hopes and extending the Wallabies sin-bin streak to five consecutive games.
After conceding just three penalties in the first half, Australia's discipline collapsed along with its personnel.
The Wallabies' giving away eight penalties and a card after the break simply isn't good enough at Test level.
Harsh? Perhaps, given the injury toll and their opponent's class.
But let's put it into perspective - that’s now 44 cards given against Australia in their past 48 Tests - and it needs to change ASAP.
One thing Wallabies fans can be excited about is the first glimpse of Max Jorgensen in a gold jersey.
A leg injury denied the Waratahs wunderkind a RWC debut last year but Jorgo’s long-awaited entrance to Test rugby didn’t disappoint with him replacing Hunter Paisami in the 47th minute.
The 20-year-old finished with a line break and 42 metres gained, telling Stan Sport post-game there was “a bit going through my head” on debut.
"Don’t think I was meant to get on that early .. but I was really excited to get out there," Jorgensen said.
"Unfortunately didn’t get the kick over the top but good to get that break.”
Tough self-assessment on debut but there's damn good signs early and we're expecting to see more of him in Argentina.
There’s certainly no shame in losing to South Africa, though a home win or two would’ve been very welcome.
The Boks are a team at the height of their powers and undoubtedly the world’s best side (sorry Ireland).
However, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt knows pundits will – rightly or wrongly – hold Australia to a much higher standard against Los Pumas in next month’s two-match tour.
Despite a heavy Round 2 loss in New Zealand, Felipe Contepomi’s side will rightly start as favourites after beating the All Blacks last week.
Any hopes of TRC silverware hinge on two Australian victories in South America and failure to do so would put Schmidt’s side under real pressure heading into a Sydney Bledisloe clash.
Time to see what this Wallabies squad is made of.
