Rugby Championship R1: Wallabies issue World Cup statement, Rassie's rugby circus comes unstuck

play
Max Jorgensen is on an incredible Wallabies trajectory (2:46)

The ESPN Scrum Reset team discusses Max Jorgensen's outstanding form for the Wallabies, suggesting he is on course to be one of rugby's all-time great wingers. (2:46)

Welcome back, Rugby Championship!

What a weekend of rugby it was, with the Wallabies doing the unthinkable and claiming the most unlikely of victories at altitude against the world champion Springboks, before the All Blacks held strong against an Argentina resurgence to continue their dominance of the Pumas in South America.

One week down and New Zealand top the table, with the Wallabies just behind them on points difference, while the Springboks sit at the bottom.

Read on as we break down the biggest talking points of the weekend.

WALLABIES ISSUE WORLD CUP WARNING

How incredible.

From 22 points down after 20 minutes, the Wallabies mounted a stunning comeback to score 38 unanswered points and stun the world to end a 62-year drought at Ellis Park.

Completely written off before the clash, Australia retained the faith, and backed in their game plan as 35-year-old James O'Connor righted the Wallabies ship and led the way, alongside their courageous captain Harry Wilson, to the most memorable of victories in the last decade.

It adds to the Wallabies' growing list of prized victories following their shock win over England at Twickenham last year and their impressive win over the British and Irish Lions series, and it puts them in exactly the right place ahead of World Cup seedings later this year.

A top six place is a must for the Wallabies to avoid heavyweights the All Blacks, Springboks, France and Ireland in the 16-team knock-out stage in 2027; after their win in Johannesburg they've given themselves extra breathing space between themselves and Argentina.

But the victory has also sounded a warning to the rest of the rugby world that Australia are on the up and it would be foolhardy to underestimate them.

Faith under Joe Schmidt continues to grow as his youth first mentality begins to bear fruit.

Max Jorgensen has proved himself one of the world's best finishers over the last month, scoring seemingly at will with out-and-out pace and footwork that bamboozled Boks fly-half Manie Libbok on Saturday. While Dylan Pietsch was assured in his 20 minutes before he came from the pitch with a broken jaw, and Tom Wright remains a vital cog in the backline.

The trio of Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson and Tom Hooper too were mightily impressive, while perhaps missing a little of the class Rob Valetini brings to the back-row, with McReight making a mammoth 21 tackles and two important pilfers.

Although a growing injury toll has forced Schmidt's hand to turn to experienced O'Connor to take on the playmaking role for the time being, his experience around the squad can only help his young playmakers in Tom Lynagh, Ben Donaldson and Tane Edmed.

"We've got young men who are men now and have played together building combinations, and that's sort of where that belief comes with when the guy beside you you know quite well and the other guy on the other side you've been playing with for five, six, seven years, so I think that's what sort of galvanised the group," O'Connor said from camp on Sunday.

"And you look at some of the best teams in the world, it's that harmony and that sync within the playing group, so I think that's where we're sort of getting to and that's that essence that I feel like is in the group that I've seen from the outside, like during that Lions series and then got to be a part of last night [Saturday]."

Turning one-off shock wins into consistent victories will be key from here, but already the Wallabies have shown they have the firepower, and the grit and determination, to make that happen.

RASSIE'S RUGBY CIRCUS COMES UNSTUCK

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus didn't hold back in his appraisal of his side's shocking implosion against the Wallabies on Saturday, labelling the performance as "dogs---", while also taking the blame for the defeat.

It was a Test they should never have lost and showcases a worrying trend beginning to creep into their game, after there were similar scenes against Italy in their opening July Test where they fell off the boil but managed to hold on for a 42-24 victory.

This time though they struggled to get back into the contest and concerningly failed to change their gameplan once the match changed direction and began to get away from them.

Finding results with their expansive game in the opening quarter, Libbok led the Boks to what looked like an unassailable lead, but as the match progressed and the Wallabies began to dominate the breakdown and the contact zone, the fly-half failed to adapt to the conditions and manage the game.

He can't be solely to blame though, the Boks lost seven of their lineouts as the Wallabies turned the set-piece into their playground, but perhaps more questions should be asked of Erasmus and his mindset entering the match.

After the game the coach admitted he had already picked his 23 for the second Test in Cape Town before they'd even set foot on the pitch in Johannesburg, while people may look back on his "innovations" against Italy -- including the midfield lineout and offside kickoff penalty -- as the coach showing disrespect to his rivals, as was raised by Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada in July.

There's no doubt Erasmus is one of the most incredible coaches of the modern era, constantly looking at ways to bend and exploit the gaps within the laws to his side's advantage, but his latest escapades have certainly caught himself and his team out.

Certainly the sight of the midfield lineout in the final 10 minutes with the Boks 11 points down was met with plenty of derision as the wheels well and truly fell off the bus.

Perhaps the old adage "keep it simple" is exactly what Erasmus and his Boks needed to be reminded of as they were brought right back down to ground, and their world No. 1 status was ripped away from them in the process.

ALL BLACKS BASICS KEY, BUT WOBBLES REMAIN

The All Blacks secured yet another rousing win under Scott Robertson, but a dominant 80 minute performance still eludes the group.

Racing out to a 21-point lead by the break, the All Blacks were dominating the basics of the game; their lineout was on fire winning 100 percent of their throws while pinching two off the Pumas, their rolling maul was unstoppable going on to score three tries, and their scrum was humming, while Beauden Barrett was directing his side around the park with ease.

But not for the first time this year, they failed to capitalise and opened the door for an Argentina comeback.

The 20-minute period after halftime remains a sore spot for the All Blacks after they regularly faded through their matches in 2024, and this time they failed to build on their momentum from the opening 40, while their discipline continues to cause them issues after they conceded 12 penalties and two yellow cards.

While the clunky victory won't have Robertson or his assistants worried, they were certainly still disappointed their side failed to put the game away early in the second half.

"The word would be challenging, not so comfy sitting in the box watching that," All Blacks coach Scott Hansen told Newstalk ZB.

"Some messages at halftime around how we continued to apply pressure didn't quite get that the way we wanted to, so there were some learnings, but we need to be better than that.

"So it's a big question [area], but what we're going to understand also is that we're happy to get the bonus point one and get out of here, take our learnings, and we'll get into Buenos Aires next week."