In the past month, the Wallabies have reminded the world that they are still a proud Tier One rugby nation and are building towards a realistic assault on a home World Cup title in 2027.

First, apologies to Joe Schmidt and the Wallabies. This writer didn't give them a realistic chance of winning at Ellis Park last weekend. When they were 22-0 down after 18 minutes, most of us would've bet our last cent on a Springbok victory.

I did warn that the Wallabies had nothing to lose in the preview to the Rugby Championship opener last week, but honestly, once they were blitzed off the Ellis Park turf in the opening quarter, not even the most blinkered Wallaby fan would've bet on a comeback victory from there.

That's what makes Test rugby so compelling. Nothing is guaranteed when teams operating in the same stratosphere come together.

Think of the Boks losing to Japan in Brighton in 2015, or the mighty 2019 All Blacks being completely dismantled by England in the semifinal of RWC 2019. And then the Boks destroyed that same England side in the final a week later.

It's a reminder that teams are never quite as...