Wallabies scrumhalf Jake Gordon is noticing the different feeling to the support around the team as the remarkable attendance trends continue.
It follows confirmation from Rugby Australia that the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Perth on October 4 has sold out - well over a fortnight before kick-off.
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It's the fourth sellout of the year, including the British & Irish Lions Tests in Brisbane and Sydney as well as last week's Argentina Test at Allianz Stadium.
Gordon, who has been in the stands for the Rugby Championship with a hamstring injury, has had a different perspective on the growth of support than usual as he reflected on what made it special.
"I think when you're not involved, you can be more aware of what's happening outside the stadium. You've got to go do a few things and you can feel the energy and the build-up," Gordon explained to reporters.
"I saw people rolling down from Paddington [last week] in large numbers, and people were wearing merch. I haven't seen the amount of people wearing that amount of merch in a long time. Some people would be wearing just their casual clothes, but there were a lot of people wearing Wallaby jerseys or wearing green and gold.
"I don't know when the game sold out, but it seemed like it was published pretty early in the week. I just saw this morning that the Perth game sold out. I can feel it. I don't know the numbers, but you can definitely feel the support from the group."
A win over the All Blacks and the return of the Bledisloe Cup would take this support into overdrive two years out from a home World Cup.
But Gordon and the Wallabies know it'll be anything but easy, especially with the opening game at Eden Park.
The All Blacks are coming off a record defeat to South Africa but extended their streak at the ground to 51 games earlier this month.
"They're always tough challenges. Their incredible record at home at Eden Park is something you definitely wouldn't take lightly," Gordon said of New Zealand.
"Teams have days where they don't perform properly to the standard that they want. We've done it before, South Africa has done it. All teams have days where they're not as competitive as they'd like to be, but they've been at the top of their game for a very long time.
"We know the threat they can do to you on a night. We are very aware of them when they play at their best. They're a really good team who have performed really well for a long time. We're expecting a really good Test match."
