The Bledisloe Cup may be gone for another year, but with a 2025 Rugby Championship battle this tight, the Wallabies know there is plenty still to play on this weekend.
The men in gold touched down in Perth on Sunday and will be looking to snap a ten-game losing streak against the All Blacks, with a win putting them in contention for their first Rugby Championship title in a decade.
Watch the Wallabies tackle the All Blacks live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
The Wallabies were joined by a refreshed Will Skelton, with the lock having been enjoying the Perth sunshine after arriving late on Friday night.
“I've been in the Perth sunshine and yeah, definitely acclimatised,” Skelton told reporters on Monday.
“The Rugby Championship is still up for grabs, there's still a lot to play for. Also, playing in the jersey, we've got guys like Slips who've played 150 games for his country.
“We want to make everyone in Australia proud of what we do and how we play footy. The [Bledisloe] series might be gone, but we're definitely putting everything we can into winning this Rugby Championship.
“That will start [with] today's training, and then we'll build the week nicely so that we can really be at our peak come Saturday.”
Skelton will headline a series of big returns for the Wallabies, with Rob Valetini also back and Josh Flook coming in for the injured Andrew Kellaway.
Nic White will also rejoin the squad after Tate McDermott was ruled out with a hamstring injury, but the twice-retired Wallaby veteran will likely serve as support for Jake Gordon and Ryan Lonergan.
Even with the Wallabies picking up several injuries, Skelton has been in close contact with the squad - and believes the growing squad depth is playing a major part in the improving results.
“I love being in this environment,” Skelton added.
“I'm thankful that not much has changed in four weeks, in terms of game plan, in terms of structures…I've been training the whole time at La Rochelle, so I feel pretty fit.
“You see it just at training, how hard we compete, how hard training is. We try and get the best out of each other. We're all pretty close, we're all pretty tight in the group, we're connected, and you can see that on the weekend.
“We didn't get the result, but we fought as hard as we could to bring that game back. You talk about depth we've got guys in every position. You take out Bobby [Valetini], you've got Hoops [Tom Hooper].
Lukhan [Salakia-Loto] doesn't play, [Josh] Canham can jump straight in. Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams have been playing great footy.
“It's another opportunity for myself to come in and try and add to the squad, not just be a part of it. Try and be better, bring intensity, bring physicality.
“That's what the squad needs, and that's what we've had the last few weeks.
“The more opportunities you get to play, the more you want to play. It's a privilege to be named in squads, it's a privilege to be around this team, to wear the gold jersey. It's something that all the players in this group love doing, myself included.”
While the Wallabies were unable to end the All Blacks' impressive 52-match run at Eden Park, the match was one of the closest between the two sides at the venue in years, with the Wallabies just two points behind going into the last five minutes.
The notable improvement of the side has been hard to ignore, and Skelton has noticed it himself, having been outside of the camp bubble back in France.
However, the lock believes the upward trend can only continue if the team keep trusting in their processes and shutting out the outside noise.
“It's hard not to,” Skelton said candidly when asked if he had noticed the outside noise.
“With social media nowadays, we're definitely trending in the right direction - but none of that really matters to us.
“Within the four walls, we know what we can do. We trust in how we prepare and how hard we work and none of that really matters.
“It's getting wins on the board and we're definitely throwing everything into this week and into our preparation and really wanting to put a performance that not only we're proud of but our fans and the rest of Australia are proud of as well.”
