Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry hasn't minced his words when asked for his thoughts on the current Wallabies, panning them as "the worst I have ever seen".
The 70-year-old made the comments on New Zealand radio on Saturday, the same day Australia take on Argentina in Perth in the Rugby Championship and a week after they ended a six-match losing streak with victory over South Africa in Brisbane.
That dismal patch included two heavy losses to the All Blacks to once again concede the Bledisloe Cup, which the Wallabies haven't held aloft since 2002.
"It's a concern," Henry, who was coach of the 2011 World Cup-winning All Blacks, told Newstalk ZB.
"We haven't played South Africa yet, but they got beaten by Australia and they are woeful.
"I think it's probably the worst Australian team I have ever seen and that's a real worry for the game."
The All Blacks will claim another Rugby Championship crown by beating the Springboks in Christchurch on Saturday night, but he was heavily pessimistic about the current standing of New Zealand's two old southern hemisphere rivals.
"You want Australia playing rugby and you want Australia playing well and you want South Africa to be doing the same thing," he said.
"But South Africa have probably lost half of their Tests over the last three years."
The All Blacks have lost just four times to the Wallabies in the last 30 Tests, while they are unbeaten in 14 straight Tests and unbeaten at home in 43 matches since 2009.
