Paul Cully

Joe Schmidt might have been troubled by flashbacks as his team fumbled and bumbled their way through the opening 40 minutes before their second-half revival.

The first Test against the Springboks will be won or lost by how the Wallabies handle the high ball.

Results in rugby are heavily affected by the availability of three or four key players. The Lions have had access to those key men, the Wallabies have not.

The Wallabies coach needs to be brutal at the selection table if Australia is to save the series.

The Brumbies leader produced a coaching master class in the playoffs.

Can Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt trust the big prop to keep his cool during the British and Irish Lions tour?

For years, cashed-up clubs in Japan have raided Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands for stars. But the numbers of players being poached may soon dry up.

The Wallabies are losing key players overseas while Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii is proving box office gold – just not always for the right reasons.

If $1m man Taniela Tupou is to remain a key figure for the Wallabies, perhaps he should be playing for the team the Waratahs face on Saturday.

The prospect of Dan McKellar and Stephen Larkham going toe to toe in Super Rugby for a few more years could just sway Rugby Australia’s thinking.