The British and Irish Lions series told us a few things about the Wallabies.
Firstly, that they remain a drawcard in Australian sport. Even with the hordes of Lions fans making their way south, the fact that there were three sell-outs in succession shows the appetite for the team to improve its fortunes is huge.
Secondly, that the planning and management of players in the lead-up and through the series wasn't where it needed to be. Sure, Australia enjoyed a warm-up game when they did not ahead of both the 2001 and 2013 Lions series, but their marked improvement from one Test to the next showed they were one game short of where they needed to be in Brisbane.
And thirdly, that the path to success in a home Rugby World Cup, in a touch over two years, lies to a large degree in France, following the respective Top 14 and European seasons of Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou.
Put simply, if Australia are to be any chance of winning a third Webb Ellis Trophy back at the venue where they dusted the Lions 22-12 to avoid a series sweep on Saturday night, then they need lock and prop fit and firing. The difference they can make to the Wallabies' cause is undeniable.
It is a crime that Skelton, 33, has played only 34 Tests for Australia. Part of that is down to the poor management of the early part of his career, so too that he needed a fresh start and a club that could help him unlock the secrets to utilising the best of his size and strength.
For perspective, his locking partner on Saturday night, Nick Frost, has played 29 Tests at age 25.
Not since he made his Test debut on a sunny afternoon at the old Sydney Football Stadium against France has an Australian crowd seen Skelton play like he has the past two weeks on Australian soil.
The 33-year-old got under the skins of the Lions forwards two weeks running and while probably fortunate to avoid a yellow card at least once in either Melbourne or Sydney, Skelton's combination of physicality, power and aggression is found nowhere else amongst the Australian playing cohort.
And what a glorious sight it was to see Taniela Tupou back to his best in the pouring rain at Homebush. Just a couple of months on from when he was questioning his ability to even play the game, Tupou produced a performance akin to that from 2022 that had people across the rugby world describing him as one of the best tighthead props in the game.
French club Racing 92 banked on getting that version of Tupou; after Saturday night the Parisians must be licking their lips with delight, even at the $1m per season price tag.
Dominant at scrum time, dogged in defence and busy in general play, the only thing missing from Tupou's game on Saturday night was the five-pointer he seemed destined to score when he ran on to a delightful short ball from, you guessed it, Skelton.
"It's always an honour to be named in the Wallabies and represent Australia," Tupou told reporters after Australia's 22-12 win. "[I was] quite emotional when I sang the anthem. And as you get older, these opportunities mean a lot more to you.
"We tend to think when you get older, you'll be like, 'oh man, one of these games could be your last'. I was just soaking it in; the environment, the crowd, and everything.
Sam Bruce breaks down how Australia were able to handle the wet conditions better in their 22-12 victory over the British and Irish Lions.
"It was pretty cool to be part of it. I'm so delighted we won the game."
Tupou's improvement since the conclusion of the Super Rugby Pacific, when he was largely poor for NSW Waratahs, has been staggering. And he now has a vital role to play in the opening weeks of the Rugby Championship while Allan Alaalatoa remains injured.
But beyond the annual southern hemisphere showpiece, Tupou's run to the World Cup lies in French hands; Joe Schmidt and then Wallabies coach-elect Les Kiss will only have sparing few opportunities to check in on the prop, Skelton too, as they try to manage the expectations that come with their lofty French salaries with the need to keep both men at least some way engaged with the national team.
"They're a point-of-difference. And they're actually really good within the group, culturally, collectively. I think it's well documented," Rugby Australia director of performance Peter Horne told reporters on a video call on Sunday afternoon.
"And even Will's come out publicly around he's enjoyed his time within the Wallabies. We'll continue to work with those players wherever they're playing, if they're identified... they bring a point-of-difference and we'll continue to work with them.
"And we're really happy with their involvement. Coming back into the squad, an opportunity for Taniela, but also Will's been immense, regardless, from the playing field. Off the field, he's a great player, a great person. And he really brings the boys together, takes time, gets to know them. I can't talk more highly."
It's true, the conditions were tailor-made for the Wallabies duo on Saturday night. And they also had the good fortune of a 38-minute break that probably allowed them to push on longer than they typically would have.
But there is a reason why the Springboks have won the two most recent editions of the Rugby World Cup - they have power up front, and lots of it.
And that is exactly what Skelton and Tupou provide. The lock will be 35 when the World Cup kicks off in Perth in October 2027 but there is no reason why he can't be as damaging as he was the past two weeks, providing he stays relatively injury free.
But Tupou will be 31 come 2027 -- coincidentally the same age as Alaalatoa, who was having the season of his life before suffering a shoulder injury - and in theory right in the prime years of his career as a Test-match prop.
Add to that the fact that Frost, Jeremy Williams, Billy Pollard, Tom Lynagh, Tom Hooper, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Max Jorgensen will be two years further down the road on their professional careers, with Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Angus Bell and Len Ikitau at the peak of their powers, and there are many reasons to be bullish about the Wallabies going deep into their home World Cup.
They just need to manage the myriad obstacles that come with Skelton and Tupou playing their club rugby on the other side of the world.