Wynne Gray: Southern comfort not guaranteed

New coach Rassie Erasmus, right, pictured here with the first non white captain of the Boks Siya Kolisi, has helped infuse renewed hope about the Boks style. Photo / Getty Images

After the opening round of June internationals there's more than a hint of renewed southern hemisphere rugby rivalry. The All Blacks eventually cleared their throats while the Wallabies and Springboks brought games which had been camouflaged during a stretch of spluttering work through Super Rugby as they knocked their Irish and English rivals on to their backsides.

Those results were as much a surprise as the comfort Wales had in knocking over Argentina, the other side in the Rugby Championship.

That series has been an All Blacks benefit with all six titles and victories in 30 of their 33 tests while the Pumas have only three wins and the Wallabies and Boks are running at less than 50 per cent success rate.

Annual forecasts have held a regular theme of figuring out who will be runners-up to the All Blacks but a repeat of last week's work from the Wallabies and Boks will shake up that routine. The Wallabies produced a collective crunch which was at odds with their four Super Rugby sides before the Boks brought the blitz they have been searching for.

Quality sides build on their performances so there's no hesitation in backing the All Blacks to seal another win tonight against France.

There's hesitation though about similar forecasts across the Tasman and Indian Ocean on several levels.

Surely Ireland will not be as hobbled by robotic structures again with their senior five-eighths Johnny Sexton back to guide the play amid other changes while England always have the look of the White Orcs, they can't play cumbersome footy again. Or maybe they can. Those sides are hauling themselves to the finish line of a long season and England, in particular, have struggled to avoid a sequence of potholes in their last five outings.

Ireland are a better side and the Six Nations champions but there was a world-weary look about them in Brisbane as the Wallabies halted their 12-game winning streak. After all the internal feuds in Australian rugby and average Super Rugby work, the Wallaby victory brought an understandable euphoria.

Enthusiasm replaced despair but coach Michael Cheika and his side face a bigger task to double up in Melbourne tonight. The Irish have restored their senior crew while the Wallabies are heading into an uncertain world of expectation.

New coach Rassie Erasmus has helped infuse renewed hope about the Boks style and results by backing their instinctive skills to top their power up front. Recalling Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen from offshore and mixing them with the talents of Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am and Aphiwe Dyantyi brought the result after an uncertain start.

Erasmus wants to use different players because of the short timeline and restricted fixtures before the World Cup while England are looking desperately for a victory by any means in Bloemfontein as Wales look to complete the double this weekend in Santa Fe against Argentina.

A turnaround in results will not be a shock with the only southern comfort an All Blacks victory at the Cake Tin. That would add some extra spice a year out from the World Cup.