Australia coach Joe Schmidt says his team now know the "benchmark" for what is expected after losing to South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener.
Schmidt's unbeaten start in charge of the Wallabies ended on Saturday as they were hammered 33-7 in Brisbane.
Australia trailed 21-0 at half-time after a dominant first half from the Springboks, and though Hunter Paisami managed a late consolation, it was never going to be enough to deny South Africa a first win in Brisbane since 2013.
Schmidt acknowledged how his side were outplayed but explained how the defeat would determine their preparation for the next game.
"They won the physical battle today, their breakdown was really strong, and they dominated possession and territory in that first half, which saps the strength out of the boys a little bit," Schmidt told Stan Sport post-match.
"The team hung in there, fought back, lost the second half 12-7; it would have been great to get a little bit more out of the game, but we've got a benchmark.
"And it wasn't a massive shock to where the Springbok would be, and it's somewhere that we're going to have to build toward."
South Africa have won back-to-back Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since July 1993, successfully ending Australia's four-Test winning streak with ease.
Before the tournament, Schmidt had overseen two wins over Wales and another against Georgia in his unbeaten start, but he remains optimistic after taking the positives from their performance.
"We saw some real heart. I thought we got back and defended a couple of times when we were a little bit unlucky, they got a few bounces of the ball which are always going to go in your favour when all the momentum is going your way. And they earn it, and they physically impose it, so that they make it very, very difficult," Schmidt added.
"At the same time, I'm a little bit heartened by the way the boys rolled their sleeves up and kept trying to fight, and then that second half, 12-7 is a lot closer than the three tries they put on in the first half."
Australia will meet South Africa again in the Rugby Championship next weekend in Perth.
Creevy lauds 'amazing' Argentina after All Blacks win
Agustin Creevy has hailed Argentina's "amazing" performance after they came from behind to beat New Zealand 38-30 in their Rugby Championship opener.
The All Blacks made a strong start to the game and held the lead at the halfway stage, but Argentina started the second half brightly, fighting back to edge in front.
It was Creevy who proved the hero for the Pumas with a try before Mateo Carreras sealed another famous victory, having also beaten them in August 2022.
It is the first time in 12 attempts that Argentina have won their opener at the Rugby Championship, and Creevy, who missed that match in 2022, was buoyant after clinching the win.
"It was amazing," Creevy said. "I think we had a really good performance. We spoke in the week about hitting first and we hit first. I thought we dominated the whole game.
"For me, personally, I am 39 and this is the first time in my life I have won in New Zealand. This game for us is f****** amazing. And now, thinking, I want to win next week."
Meanwhile, it was Scott Robertson's first defeat since taking over the All Blacks, having earned a 2-0 series triumph over England before earning a dominant win over Fiji.
Sam Darry and Anton Lienert-Brown provided the tries in the first half to give them the lead, but they struggled to regain their foothold in the second, and Robertson was candid about where it went wrong for New Zealand on Saturday.
"We weren't good enough," Robertson admitted. "It started off at the kick-off and every time we received one, we couldn't get off our back fence.
"That kept us in a pressure cycle, and we just made too many errors."
Argentina and New Zealand will meet again in the Rugby Championship next weekend in Auckland.
New Zealand 30-38 Argentina: Creevy heroics snatch unexpected Pumas triumph
Agustin Creevy proved the late hero as Argentina stunned New Zealand with a 38-30 victory in a Wellington thriller on Saturday.
Hooker Creevy bundled over with just 11 minutes remaining, with his sixth try in 109 Tests paving the way for Santiago Carreras' penalty to seal an eye-catching triumph in their Rugby Championship opener.
Having triumphed two years ago on Kiwi soil, Argentina held out for another significant victory in New Zealand despite missing captain Julian Montoya due to a rib injury.
Sam Darry had earlier opened the scoring for the hosts before Anton Lienert-Brown restored New Zealand's lead after Lucio Cinti powered over for the visiting Pumas.
Mateo Carreras reduced the deficit heading into half-time, with New Zealand leading by five points before the boot of Carreras edged Argentina into a 25-23 advantage after the interval.
Mark Tele'a picked the right moment to dance through the Argentina defence to send the All Blacks back ahead, yet Creevy provided the late heroics before Carreras punished a line-out error to seal a famous victory.
Data Debrief: All Blacks rare failure on home soil
New Zealand had won 16 of their 17 Test matches against Argentina on home soil (L1), recording an average winning margin of 34.8 points across those 16 victories.
Yet that winning run came to an abrupt end as Argentina triumphed for just a second time in seven Rugby Championship matches, adding to a 34-31 victory against Australia in July 2023.
This landmark triumph also marked their first opening win at this competition in 12 attempts, having lost all 11 prior appearances in the Rugby Championship opener.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's struggles in Wellington continued. They have now won only one of their last seven Tests at this venue, with the All Blacks seeking revenge at Eden Park next Saturday.
Maharaj hopes South Africa patience 'pays dividends' against West Indies
Keshav Maharaj remains hopeful South Africa's patience will "pay dividends" after a hard-fought third day of their Test match against the West Indies.
The Windies toiled in the field for 117.4 overs, eventually ending South Africa's first innings just 20 minutes into the opening session as Kagiso Rabada fell on 21 before Lungi Ngidi's four-ball duck.
That same pair of Rabada and Ngidi asked questions of Mikyle Louis and Kraigg Braithwaite with the new ball, yet the Windies openers reached an unbeaten half-century stand with little trouble.
The visiting Proteas turned to Maharaj's spin as early as the 13th over, reaping the rewards as the left-arm spinner ripped through Louis' defence to remove the opener on 35 with the last ball before lunch.
Rain caused a lengthy delay to follow but that stoppage proved fruitful as Wiaan Mulder ran out Braithwaite, on 35, before Maharaj removed Keacy Carty for 42 and Alick Athanaze on just three.
Maharaj bowled 28 straight overs throughout a battling day and hopes South Africa can capitalise with the West Indies on 145-5, some 212 runs behind the visitors' first-innings total of 357.
"When the ball goes in the outfield, it becomes a bit soft and doesn't react much," Maharaj said at stumps. "We have been trying to keep it as dry as possible.
"There is not much off the wicket. I have been trying to use different paces, and various trajectories but only the odd ball is reacting.
"But when you bowl in the right channel for a long time in Test cricket, it does pay dividends."
Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder will hope to provide further resistance when play begins on Saturday in Port of Spain.
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