The Wallabies' inability to deal with the high ball, and some major fatigue after a long season, has left them in a rankings scramble for the final three Tests of an arduous 2025.
Sunday morning's lacklustre showing against England, their third such performance in a row, was reflective of a team that is starting to show more than just a few signs of weariness. That situation was only amplified by the absence of multiple overseas-based players.
Australia barely fired a shot at Twickenham, their only score in the 25-7 defeat coming via a 95-metre Harry Potter intercept. Coach Joe Schmidt may have correctly pointed out that Australia made multiple line breaks, but it was England who carried with far more authority, while the Wallabies simply had no answer to their hosts' aerial game, and its accompanying chase, which brought about two of the hosts' four tries.
To borrow an expression from former Wallabies winger Nick "The Honey Badger" Cummins, Australia were a bit like the boy who fell out of the tree -- they were never in it at Twickenham. A 10-7 halftime score might suggest otherwise, but had it not been for Potter's intercept and an heroic piece of goal-line defence from the winger a couple of minutes earlier, it would have been 17-blot at the break.
"That strength and depth, that's something we're trying to build in Australia but that takes a bit of time. And without some guys today, that's a great opportunity for some of those other players to get that experience," Schmidt said.
"I felt Tame Edmed, for example, I thought he acquitted himself really well in moments of the game, and then probably will learn some things from the game. And that learning is what you're investing in players for the future, and I still think that we'll get something out of the game.
"I know the dressing room's disappointed, Harry's [Wilson] disappointed, we all are. But there are two things that probably stick out to me; we didn't give up [and] we kept trying... it wasn't like we were utterly outplayed but in moments of the game I felt they dominated us and there'll be learnings in that for us."
The good news for Australia is that both Len Ikitau and Tom Hooper have rejoined the squad ahead of their short trip to Italy. And the return of Ikitau, in particular, could not be timelier.
The Wallabies have struggled desperately for midfield thrust in his absence the past two Tests, and while Schmidt seldom picks players who have only recently rejoined the squad, the fact he selected Will Skelton in Bledisloe II on just one week's training is evidence that the Kiwi knows when he needs to pull the trigger.
And it could not be any more necessary this week, with the Wallabies returning to Italy for the first time since their shock loss in 2022. That defeat contributed significantly to Dave Rennie's eventual sacking as Wallabies coach after he had made 13 changes to the starting side.
Having Ikitau in the midfield will give the Wallabies the punch they so sorely missed in London. And with Carter Gordon up to speed after three weeks in camp, and free of a quadriceps niggle that denied him a spot on the bench at Twickenham, it may also be time for the code-hopper at No. 10.
The Wallabies have played incredibly narrow the past two weeks, with both Max Jorgensen and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii both unable to insert themselves into the game at Twickenham. No doubt it was wet in London, but when the game started to really get away from Australia in the second half, a change of approach was required.
One of the strengths of Gordon's game is his passing, and it might just hold the key to freeing up Australia's key strike weapons. The Wallabies were largely predictable at Twickenham with Tane Edmed often deep in the pocket; Australia's best piece of attack was left to replacement prop Allan Alaalatoa, who popped a sublime short pass to put Rob Valetini through.
But it is the aerial game on the defensive side of the ball for which Australia requires most improvement. The tries scored by Ben Earl and then Henry Pollock were England's just reward for accurate kicking from scrum-half Alex Mitchell and a committed chase from their wingers and loose forwards.
England played a superb, if dour, tactical game in London. And Pollock's pick-up for his try was sensational.
Had it not been for Potter and some brilliant breakdown work from Fraser McReight, who secured no less than five turnovers, then Australia would have found themselves much further behind, while a 25-metre rolling maul try five minutes from fulltime was a final insult to a Wallabies pack that lost the collisions all night.
Ikitau and Hooper could have done little to solve that, but they will make a difference against an Italian side that will smell blood in the water.
With Argentina [83.82] just ahead of Australia [82.90] on the rankings, and Scotland [81.57] not too far adrift, a similar result next weekend will be near terminal for the Wallabies hopes of a top-six seeding for the World Cup draw later this year.
"If we don't get to six in the world, all we've got to do is just keep building, because you can still be a great chance [at the World Cup] and not be six in the world, but that would be the ideal for us," Schmidt said. "But we've got to be able to build over the next two years and not be afraid of playing one of the big guns.
"I think having had some big wins this season so far, I think we've demonstrated ability with a full squad that we can knock teams over. And we've got to build the depth in behind that squad, so this tour is really part of that.
"Italy will be very tough, they were one score away from England at half time last time they played them. They are a good side."
A good side, yes. But one the Wallabies should absolutely beat, even if the legs are starting to look rather heavy.