Reading Gus' thoughts, the crux of his argument stems from last year's match which New Zealand won 26-12.
Let's rewind the clock and look at that game. The build-up to the game was less than ideal, extraordinary conditions meant that the game had to be postponed for 48 hours. That type of disruption can affect a team's preparation, causing coaches to consider different approaches and for players to switch off mentally. This is especially problematic when players haven't played together in a long time. In Australia's case, they had made nine changes to the team that lost to New Zealand in the 2014 Four Nations, while New Zealand had only lost four. Among those changes included debutant Josh Dugan, a hard-working fullback, who was asked to play on the wing. The positional switch was clearly foreign to him and two tries came off of his mistakes. 12-6 New Zealand quickly became 16-6 with SJ scoring a trademark try, and when GI failed to ground the ball in the shadows of half-time it was game-over at 26-6.
What I saw on Friday was a fool-proof plan from Australia. Counter to their previous clash, they worked better as a unit. The forwards carted the ball up with no fuss, they controlled the ruck with ease and had direction in attack. It wasn't the most polished performance by any means, Dugan in particular looked lost, but it was a comfortable victory that will provide the Kangaroos with the foundation they need.
Over time, I expect the Australian camp to be filled with more fresh faces. The likes of Anthony Milford, Jack Bird, Cameron Munster, Corey Oates etc. strike me as the type of players who will become mainstays in the Australian side. They will come through when they're required, Friday's clash was about restoring pride in the jersey.
