Boozing Wallabies will be welcomed back for Bledisloe II

1. The changes the Wallabies will look at this week.

Come in Marika Koroibete and Isi Naisarani, all is forgiven. The Wallabies wing and No.8 must be strong bets to earn recalls for Bledisloe II after moderate performances by the underdone Jordan Petaia and out-of-form Harry Wilson. The Wallabies clearly want to accelerate Petaia’s return with a view to getting him to compete for the No.15 jersey, but Andrew Kellaway has one wing spot locked down after an encouraging Test at Eden Park. The Wallabies coaches will feel confident now that they looked good when they went direct against the All Blacks. When they hit the short side and turned the game into a physical contest, they looked good. Forget Noah Lolesio’s goalkicking â€" that’s the ebb and flow of every No.10’s career â€" because the clues for really challenging the All Blacks were all there on Saturday. Matt Philip in the second row and Lachlan Swinton on the bench might come into the plan, too.

Jordan Petaia (left) was underdone for the Bledisloe match. Credit:Getty

2. The nightmare third quarter.

There was still a bit of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in the first Bledisloe, and the All Blacks will undoubtedly feel like it took them 45 minutes to get real about the demands of Test rugby. When Taniela Tupou was beaten in a second-half scrum by Karl Tu’inukuafe and the Wallabies were forced to defend against some quick All Blacks ball, the home side looked compelling. The Wallabies will point to their strong finish, but they will also have to be honest about their lack of control in the third quarter and where it came from. Apart from his costly intercept pass to Richie Mo’unga, Hunter Paisami was twice stripped of the ball on contact. He was brilliant in the first half, but he was poor in the second â€" as cruel as it is to say that.

3. The midfield conundrum.

Matt To’omua made a good impersonation of a human missile off the bench, running with ferocity and hitting rucks like a freight train. He looked like a different player than the hesitant figure who sparked into life only sporadically in Super Rugby. If he comes into the starting side next Saturday, there’s a real discussion to be had about who makes way. Paisami and To’omua have history as a combination, but don’t forget about Len Ikitau. His attacking flair has not been unlocked at Test level, but the Brumby revealed at Eden Park that he has a beautiful left-foot kicking game. A genuine find for Australian rugby.

Matt To’omua stated his case for a return to the starting side.Credit:Getty

4. The missing yellow card.

The All Blacks are like most teams: put them under a bit of discomfort and the penalties come. However, the suspicion remains that they are quite prepared to commit as many penalties as it takes. Dave Rennie grumbled afterwards that he thought the All Blacks should have been down to 14 men at some stage â€" and that point should have been after 69 minutes. Under pressure, they conceded four penalties under advantage and were probably saved by the fact that Tom Banks scored the try.

The Springboks are the best side in the world until proven otherwise.Credit:Getty

5. The Springboks are Rugby Championship favourites.

The British and Irish Lions will be burdened with regret after losing the series 2-1 in South Africa, with no sense they ever arrived at the best line-up or game plan. But the Springboks found a way to win 19-16 in the third Test despite playing without the ball for long periods; they have a winning style and they trust in it completely. As world champions and now conquerors of the Lions, the Springboks deserve an enormous amount of respect, and it would be churlish to deny them anything but the favourite’s tag for the Rugby Championship. They are the world’s best side until anyone can prove they can deal with their power game, scrum, and defence.

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Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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