MELBOURNE :A year after plumbing new depths in the Rugby Championship, Australia head into the southern hemisphere tournament with renewed confidence after taking down the British & Irish Lions in the series finale.
Though beaten 2-1 by Andy Farrell’s tourists, the Wallabies’ 22-12 win in a Sydney deluge gave fans hope they’re on the right trajectory two years out from hosting the 2027 World Cup.
Now Joe Schmidt’s team will look to build on the momentum when they take on the southern hemisphere nations that humiliated them last year.
In Schmidt’s first season in charge, Australia managed one shaky win over Argentina in their worst-ever Rugby Championship.
It included back-to-back thrashings on home soil by South Africa and a record 67-27 defeat by the Pumas in Santa Fe.
It was another bitter pill for supporters following the disastrous 2023 World Cup in France under Eddie Jones where the Wallabies exited at the group phase for the first time.
Fans will hope the dark days are over, having seen how well the team can play during the final two tests of the Lions series when disciplined, dogged and beefed-up with players like Will Skelton and Rob Valetini.
Defending champions South Africa will look to nip that optimism in the bud when they host Australia in their first two tests of the Rugby Championship.
Australia have not won at Ellis Park in Johannesburg since 1963 or Cape Town, the second test venue, since 1992.
While the Wallabies will hope to end a four-match losing streak to the world champions, they may be quietly satisfied to leave South Africa without a pair of thrashings before taking on Argentina in back-to-back tests on home soil.
The stakes are far higher for the Pumas matches given ranking implications for the World Cup draw.
Ranked sixth in the world, a whisker ahead of number seven Argentina in the points standings, Australia need to hold their place or improve it by the end of the season to be assured of a better draw.
The top six teams earn places in separate pools during the group phase, meaning they avoid playing each other until the knockout rounds.
Australia finish off the tournament against New Zealand with a daunting trip to Eden Park – where they have not won since 1986 – and a home match against the All Blacks in Perth on September 27.
The Wallabies’ faint title hopes could be well gone before the finale at Perth stadium.
However, Schmidt and his staff would likely regard beating Argentina twice and pinching one win from either South Africa or New Zealand as a good outcome and a step forward in the Wallabies’ rebuild.
