With the Rugby World Cup less than a year away, France appear to be the Northern Hemisphere team best placed to challenge the Springboks and the All Blacks.
Wallabies coach Les Kiss faces a midfield reshuffle after Hunter Paisami's four-week ban, eyeing several options ahead of the crucial Eden Park Bledisloe clash.
Former Wallabies star and two-time World Cup winner Tim Horan has backed Australia to shock the rugby world and claim the illustrious Rugby World Cup trophy a year out from Rugby World Cup 2027.
It doesn't get much bigger than a home World Cup, and with so much rugby yet to play out, this is ESPN's attempt at predicting how the Wallabies will line up.
Carter Gordon may have shaken off a calf niggle to play on Sunday, but the Wallabies playmaker's injury travails since his return from rugby league remain a genuine concern. It may yet open the door for James O'Connor or Bernard Foley.
Les Kiss has pledged to continue tinkering with his Wallabies matchday squads in a bid to build "two good XVs" for next year's Rugby World Cup, after the Queenslander handed prop Isaac Kailea a first Test start since 2024.