The opening round of the Rugby Championship went to script over the weekend, with the Springboks and All Blacks defeating the Wallabies and Pumas respectively.
What was unexpected, however, was the size of the victories, with South Africa beating Australia by 31 points and New Zealand turning on a dominant first-half performance to set up their 29-point win.
Read on as we review some of the big talking points from the weekend's action.
IT'S CLEAR EDDIE IS ALREADY FEELING THE HEAT
If Eddie Jones was in any doubt about the size of the challenge he has taken on at the Wallabies, then Saturday night's drubbing at the hands of the Springboks will have rammed home just how much work there is to do.
Changing not just a coach, but an entire coaching team, just nine months out from a World Cup was always going to be a risky move. Still, Rugby Australia opted to appoint Jones and dump Dave Rennie, confident that the Australian could manage what would be a terribly short runway to the global showpiece.
RA banked on Jones' record at World Cups, which include two runner-up finishes and a triumph as an assistant with the Springboks in 2007, to turn the Wallabies into a force. While it is only one Test, on Saturday night's evidence Jones appears unlikely to make Australia any more of a force than Rennie would have.
Marika Koroibete's eight-minute try aside, the Wallabies looked clueless on attack as they persisted with a kick-first game that lacked competent execution after the first 15 minutes; while the same old issues at the collision and with their discipline - Australia were on the end of a 13-3 penalty count - remain.
Jones made no excuses for the Wallabies' performance, declaring they had been beaten in every facet of the game. He did, however, snap at one South African journalist who asked whether the Australian was relieved the Wallabies had faced only a Springboks "B team", alluding to comments made by Jones in the lead-up to the Test that Australia wanted to face the best South Africa had to offer.
Unimpressed by the wording of the question, Jones reacted angrily and again clashed with the reporter after the press conference wound up.
"South Africans are good at winning. You don't have to be a smartarse mate," Jones said.
"We were well and truly beaten today by a Springboks side that old mate is calling the B-team, right? I never knew there was a Springboks side that was called the B-team... you don't have to be a smartarse mate. You should have more respect mate. I never said that mate. I said we always want to play the best. Show some respect."
Jones is renowned for challenging journalists at press conferences and enjoys the back-and-forth battles whether his team has won or lost. But his heated response in Pretoria was evidence of the growing pressure he is under and reflects a coach who knows time is fast running out before the World Cup rolls around.
Jones has been hailed as a messiah-like figure by some RA administrators, but there was no divine intervention in Pretoria where Australia were smashed all over the paddock.
Lose this week to the Pumas, and the Wallabies will have to find a win either in back-to-back Bledisloe Cup games or against hosts France in Paris to build some semblance of momentum.
And so Saturday night's game at CommBank Stadium is hugely important for Jones - his press conference will certainly be gripping viewing if Argentina manage an upset.
SPRINGBOKS' DEPTH SHINES THROUGH
While Jones is feeling the heat, Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber will have a real spring in his step after the decision to send an advance party to New Zealand again had no impact on a Test with the Wallabies.
Just as it was in 2019, an understrength Springboks team was still far too good for Australia and with 12 players already settled in New Zealand, Nienaber has given South Africa the best chance of defeating the All Blacks at Mt. Smart Stadium on Saturday.
While the team that beat the Wallabies still featured plenty of established quality in the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cobus Reinach, Lukhanyo Am and Willie le Roux, the performances of Marco van Staden, Jean Kleyn, Andre Esterhuizen, wingers Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse, and fly-half Manie Libbok emphasised the exceptional depth the Springboks have at their disposal.
Moodie scorched the Wallabies with a breathtaking try in Sydney last year, but in Pretoria it was Arendse who did the damage as he bagged a hat-trick; the left winger's third five-pointer seeing him step inside each of Michael Hooper, Marika Koroibete and Suliasi Vunivalu to score in the corner.
Van Staden, meanwhile, was part of a dominant collective back-row performance that completely bossed its Wallabies counterparts, before Deon Fourie and lock Evan Roos came on and added genuine physicality and tempo from the bench.
The "bomb squad" has been a feature of South Africa's game for some time, but they have so much more depth across their playing squad, depth that will make them a mighty force in France later this year.
Saturday's Test in Auckland will be a beauty.
MCKENZIE 'GOOD' AS ALL BLACKS ATTACK HUMS IN MENDOZA
The fast, daytime conditions on offer in Mendoza were always going to favour New Zealand. Given the All Blacks' array of attacking weapons and speed in the wider channels, if they could dominate the Pumas up front then there would be plenty of space for New Zealand to capitalize on further out.
And so it proved as the All Blacks' scrum smashed Argentina at the set-piece and their forwards rolled through the middle of their hosts' defensive line, laying the perfect platform for Damian McKenzie to work from.
The fly-half enjoyed a stellar game - his goal-kicking aside - as a result and combined superbly with fullback Beauden Barrett to further cloud the playmaking picture for New Zealand.
Asked what he thought of McKenzie's performance, All Blacks coach Ian Foster simply told Sky Sport: "Good."
It is expected that Richie Mo'unga will start against the Springboks in Auckland, while Foster may also want a look at Will Jordan at fullback and how that Crusaders 10-15 combination performs at Test level.
What is clear is that Foster has settled on Jordie Barrett in the midfield and the coach will want to give the Hurricanes centre as much time alongside Rieko Ioane, who was also brilliant in Mendoza, as is reasonably possible.
And there may well be a situation where the All Blacks can squeeze McKenzie, Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett into a matchday 23, too.
The back-to-back Bledisloe Cup games loom as a key indicator as to how Foster is seeing what is a difficult, but pleasant, problem to have.
BRUNI A RARE HIGHLIGHT FOR POOR PUMAS
With a full house and a beautiful afternoon on offer in Mendoza, the Pumas will have been excited to perform in their only home Rugby Championship match in 2023. It was also the first time they had hosted New Zealand in Argentina since they recorded their first and second victories over the All Blacks in 2020 and 2022.
But apart from a charge down that almost resulted in a try after 30 seconds, there was very little for the Pumas to like in their first-half effort as they were blasted out of the Test within 13 minutes and went on to concede a 31-0 halftime lead.
Thankfully for the home fans and coach Michael Cheika, the situation did improve in the second half as they scored two tries and were able to stifle the flow and tempo the All Blacks had enjoyed throughout the first stanza.
And then there was the performance of Rodrigo Bruni who despite a first-half yellow card, was still Argentina's standout performer. Bruni was sensational with ball-in-hand as he carried for 60 metres on eight runs, the No. 8 also topping the tackle count with 14 in an all-round display that was a shining light for the home side.
With Marcos Kremer sidelined by suspension, Bruni has the chance to establish himself in the Pumas' first-choice back-row ahead of the World Cup. Another performance like the one he produced in Mendoza will make it very tough for Cheika to omit Bruni once Kremer returns, while the rest of the Pumas forwards should look to the No. 8 as an example of the effort they need to replicate.
Meanwhile, Argentina certainly had some major issues at scrum time in Mendoza, setting up an intriguing set-piece battle with an equally troubled Wallabies front-row in Sydney this weekend.