In past seasons, all five Australian teams getting beaten by New Zealand opposition in a single weekend would have been cause for panic and ignited commentary pointing to the results as proof the game of rugby was dying in Australia.
The five Australian sides did all lose to New Zealand teams last weekend, but there has been no panic so far and the "doom and gloom" commentary also hasn't surfaced.
And why is that, you would be excused for wondering?
For starters, reports of the game's death in Australia have always been exaggerated.
Also, after a much-improved showing from Australian teams against New Zealand opposition in 2022 — and with already three times as many wins across the first four cross-over rounds this season as were recorded across the five weeks of Super Rugby trans-Tasman in 2021 — last weekend was quickly seen to be an anomaly.
Of course, the results and the performances can all be better, and none of these opening paragraphs are trying to suggest that everything is awesome.
Indeed, the Queensland Reds, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force remain desperate to convert a couple of close losses into their first cross-over wins.
The Rebels and Force are facing mathematical tasks to break into the top eight, but the Reds are right in the thick of it and should still be eyeing off the fourth-place finish that still dangles in front of them, albeit with a few conditions applied.
The return of back rowers Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight this week will certainly make a difference for the Reds as they host Moana Pasifika in Brisbane on Friday night, while the inclusion of James O'Connor — with a week under his belt after returning from injury — can only help as well.
The Waratahs and Brumbies, though, have a slightly bigger challenge this weekend.
The Waratahs face the Highlanders in Dunedin and the Brumbies host the Blues in a top-of-the-table clash at Canberra Stadium. Both Australian sides went down in close contests last weekend after a string of wins.
The Brumbies may concede they made too many mistakes and gifted the Crusaders far too big a first-half lead in their 37-26 loss to the New Zealanders in Canberra last Friday night.
The Waratahs will still be smarting from a second-half capitulation in which the Hurricanes did not take the lead for the first time in the match until the 75th minute.
Both sides know they can beat New Zealand teams, as they have shown through their results this season. They need to recapture the belief and mindset that had served them quite well until round 13.
And they need to do that because there are now only two games left before the finals series begins.
"We still want to go into the quarter-finals with momentum," Waratahs assistant coach Chris Whitaker said in Sydney on Tuesday.
The Highlanders have vaulted into the top eight — at the expense of the Force and Rebels — on the back of three straight wins after a torrid run through the first 10 rounds.
"They [Highlanders] played good footy at the start of the year but lost a couple of games on the bell," Whitaker said.
"They're definitely dangerous … obviously with [All Blacks scrum-half] Aaron Smith steering them around the park.
"An Australian team hasn't won [in Dunedin] since 2014 so we know it's going to be a big battle."
Key personnel return
The Waratahs have a few more players available for the clash with the Highlanders.
Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is ready to go again after sitting out last weekend's loss to the Hurricanes at Leichhardt Oval, and Ned Hanigan is set to pull on a Waratahs jersey for the first time in nearly two years after returning from Japan.
Similarly, the Brumbies will welcome fly half Noah Lolesio back to steer the team around again, with the Canberra-based side facing the first-placed Blues in a match that could have a major impact on the top two.
"Noah's been our first-choice 10 for a couple of years now, and it certainly gives the team a lift just having him fit and available," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said on Wednesday
The Brumbies played an uncharacteristic brand of rugby to trail the Crusaders 23-5 at half-time last Friday night, before clicking into gear and running in three tries to two in the second half to prove to themselves their game plan still worked.
"There was a lot to take out of it, in terms of belief and confidence," McKellar said of his side's strong second half once they had overcome their error-strewn first half against the Crusaders.
Belief and confidence quickly emerge as key themes going into their huge clash with the Blues this weekend and they will remain so going forward into the finals. At this time of the season, most tweaks are mental.
"You look at the Rebels and their previous fortnight [before their three-point loss to the Chiefs last weekend], and it just sums up that so much of it is between the ears and mindset," McKellar said.
"We're certainly no different. We've got to be in the right place mentally to deliver what you need to deliver physically and obviously in these games you've got to be brutal and physical.
"Having that intent and that mindset is a massive part of that."
