Four Tests, three wins, two trophies; Les Kiss has enjoyed close to the perfect start to his tenure as Wallabies coach after taking over the group a little less than two months ago. But while his attack and defensive fingerprints are evident, many questions remain over the direction of the squad in the lead-up to their hardest Test yet of the year -- the world No.1 Springboks.
The first area of focus will, of course, be his playmakers.
Labelled a "cursed jersey" by former coach Joe Schmidt earlier this year, just as Kiss was beginning to enjoy some stability in the position with Ben Donaldson, Carter Gordon and Declan Meredith all fit and sharing the playmaking responsibilities across the new coach's opening four Tests, the playmaking curse has seemingly struck once more.
For the second time this year Gordon finds himself sidelined, this time potentially long-term, the No. 10 reportedly facing a six-to-eight-week stint off the pitch with a suspected broken leg. According to Kiss, Gordon copped a "blow to his lower limb" and undertook scans soon after the match. Given the 25-year-old's injury history -- a calf bruise ruled him out of two of the three Nations Championship Tests, and he only just managed to shake off a calf injury to take his place on the bench this weekend -- keeping the young playmaker healthy and wrapped in cottonwool will be top of mind ahead of next year's World Cup. Unfortunately for Kiss, though, Gordon remains the clear standout of his three playmakers.
Donaldson wasn't out of place against Argentina on Sunday morning [AEST] after he was handed his first start in the No.10 jersey in close to two years, but it was clear, after a shaky opening quarter, that he found himself only after a surprise 15-minute Gordon cameo early in the first half as he come on as an HIA replacement for Filipo Daugunu.
Having both playmakers on the pitch allowed for Gordon to pull the strings with Donaldson pushed to fullback and Tom Wright to the wing. The combination was solid, producing one of the best attacking breaks for the Wallabies in the whole match with Gordon putting Donaldson through a hole, and the 27-year-old putting on the jets to get within Argentina's 22m. His decision to place a chip kick over the defence instead of holding the ball and continuing the play will be something the coaching staff must look at with Donaldson known for wanting to put boot to ball instead of retaining possession. While Donaldson grew in stature through the game, working tirelessly to direct his forward pack, he failed to truly unlock a backline filled with attacking threats.
The reported loss of Gordon for the upcoming Springboks Test and Bledisloe Cup series almost certainly earns Donaldson the starting role, but given Meredith's underwhelming start to his Test career, Kiss may look further afield to further bolster his fly-half options; Noah Lolesio is on a break from his Japanese commitments, while Tom Lynagh and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips are about to lace it up in Super Rugby Aus, and James O'Connor has just signed to return to Western Force.
Meanwhile, a relatively uninspiring performance from Wright in his 50th Test adds to the issues. It continues a lacklustre return from an ACL injury for the 29-year-old, but his showing on Sunday was particularly dire.
The final three minutes of the first half will give the fullback nightmares for weeks after he first fumbled the ball, before he proceeded to run into touch as he attempted a clearance, allowing the Pumas to level the scores with a try a few moments later.
A minute later he demonstrated he retains a hot-headed streak that almost saw the Wallabies enter the sheds in deficit after he used his forearm to shove an Argentina player in the face after he grounded the ball for halftime. It resulted in a penalty and an extra three minutes of the Wallabies desperately defending their line.
A knock-on during Australia's final attacking raid in the closing minutes -- off the back of a poor pass from Massimo Du Lutiis -- compounded a torrid 50th Test for the fullback.
Jock Campbell was called into the squad as injury replacement for Dylan Pietsch ahead of the second Argentina Test and, after an incredible return to the Wallabies jersey in the opening Nations Championship clash against Ireland, the 31-year-old should be on Kiss' radar for a start against the Springboks. How Campbell figures in the fullback mix long-term only adds to his headaches though, with the Reds star expected to leave for Japan next year.
Add to the continued discussion of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's best position, and the rise of Isaac Henry in the centres, and the backline presents even more challenges.
The silver-lining for Kiss from his last four weeks of experimentation has been his firing forward pack. Despite some stumbles in Mendoza, the Wallabies pack has remained almost untouchable at set piece while also scoring all but two of the team's seven tries in Argentina and all eight against Japan in Townsville.
"Some of the decisions we've made over this four, five weeks, we got a lot of information from it," Kiss said when asked about ending his selection experimentation. "It'll narrow the mindset about how we go forward.
"It was important this group knew we'd back them, challenge them in many different ways and we'll get a lot of pay for that down the road.
"We're playing the No.1 nation in the world. What are we, seven or six? So we need to get some things better.
"But the boys will be up for the fight."
With the World No.1 Springboks in their sights next up and a Bledisloe Cup beyond that, the time for chopping and changing is over.
