New Zealand have one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy, after they powered to an impressive 35-20 victory over the Springboks in Auckland. That win has surely erased any thought they could "fly under the radar" at the World Cup later this year.
While the Wallabies-Pumas clash didn't quite hit the same heights afterwards, the CommBank Stadium match still proved an entertaining encounter, which the visitors won with a last-gasp try to Juan Martin Gonzalez.
Read on as we review some of the big talking points from the weekend's action.
ALL BLACKS FIND THEIR NO. 6 AS JORDAN STARS ON THE WING
Blindside breakaway has been a problem for the All Blacks virtually ever since Jerome Kaino moved offshore after the 2017 Test season. While Liam Squire did an admirable job in between injuries before the 2019 tournament, when Scott Barrett also deputised, the likes of Dalton Papali'i, Akira Ioane and Ethan Blackadder and even Tupou Vaa'i have all been used in the position.
But Shannon Frizell always appeared the man most equipped to fill the sizeable shoes of Kaino, only for injury and periods of inconsistent form to stunt his progress.
On Saturday night in Auckland, however, Frizell took a significant step to sewing up the position for the World Cup with a superb performance against the Springboks, the back-rower shredding tackles on a number of surging runs while also delivering in the less glamorous parts of the game on defence and at the breakdown.
But it was his powerful burst down the sideline for the All Blacks' second try that really caught the eye, Frizell trampling over Springboks fullback Willie le Roux to touch down in the corner, the play evoking memories of Jonah Lomu's effort in the 1995 World Cup semifinal with England.
"He's been simmering along all Super season," All Blacks coach Ian Foster said of Frizell. "We've always had a lot of faith in Shannon. When he's put a black jersey on he's always played well. Sometimes with players it takes a little while to get that 100% belief at Test level. Perhaps he's been one of those. Maybe we've got his roles a bit clearer.
"He deserves the credit. He's turned up and he's kind of felt the opportunity. We've been really clear about the opportunity that's there for him, and he's taken it. So I guess sometimes it's a bit of selection pressure, a bit of experience, and a bit of him playing like a man who really wants it."
While Frizell was a dominant force up front, finishing with the impressive stats of 12 tackles, 13 carries and 43 metres, it was Will Jordan who provided the class out wide, the winger laying on the game's opening try with a smart bit of play that saw him release the ball, get back to his feet one more, and then cut back infield to find Aaron Smith.
He then made the half-break that resulted in Frizell's try, Jordan then claiming his own five-pointer when he pulled in a perfect Beauden Barrett kick that exposed a tiring Springboks defensive line.
While Jordan has predominantly been used at fullback by the Crusaders, most of his time in the black jersey has been spent on the wing where he is equally adept. And with Foster appearing to favour Barrett at fullback despite mixed results in the two-pronged playmaker approach with Richie Mo'unga, Jordan could be set for more time in the No. 14 jumper.
Jordan certainly offers that little bit extra on the wing compared with some of the All Blacks' other options, the Crusaders star capable of coming in closer to the action to direct play, his acceleration also a huge weapon in and around tiring forward packs.
WALLABIES 0-2, BUT JONES TELLS ALL BLACKS TO 'LOOK OUT'
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones was in a buoyant mood on Saturday night for someone who had just seen his team beaten at the death by Argentina, Australia now facing the very real prospect of entering the World Cup without a win under their belts in 2023.
While Jones claimed that there was "no one more despondent than me", he also suggested there was plenty of things the Wallabies had done well against the Pumas, or at least improved significantly from their poor showing against the Springboks seven days earlier.
Jones on Thursday said he was trying to find a "Wallaby way to win" and while that did not eventuate at CommBank Stadium, there were several moments in the match - the try that Samu Kerevi scored - for example, that suggested he may well have them on the right track.
Certainly, Jones is bullish enough to think the All Blacks are in for a real fight.
"Well, it's interesting, isn't it? Like in the first two games we've scored two super tries early in the game and we move the ball with fluency and quickly, which is how we want to play," Jones said when asked if he had seen glimpses of the "Wallaby way to win" style against the Pumas.
"We want to play with fluency, and we want to move the ball quickly. But we're not able to sustain that at the moment. I can give you a fantastic, plausible reason, but you're not going to believe it, so I'm not going to give it to you.
"So, whilst it seems like it's doom and gloom at the moment, beating inside here is a fair bit of optimism that we'll be able to change fairly quickly in the next couple of weeks. If I was the All Blacks, I'd look out."
While Jones loves nothing more than to create a headline, as he has done with his All Blacks' warning, he will take hope from the fact that in each of the past three World Cup years the Wallabies have beaten New Zealand on Australian soil.
He will however have to do it without defensive linchpin Len Ikitau, who has been ruled out for between six and eight weeks after fracturing his scapula against the Pumas. Incredibly, Ikitau made three more tackles after suffering the injury before the pain became too much and he departed the field in near agony.
"It's funny through the Reds years I was playing 13, I actually didn't like playing 12, coming up with the Wallabies I hated it and Cheik would put me there, and then obviously the Reds started putting me there," Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi said when asked whether he could shift out one position to cover the loss of Ikitau.
"But we've got some good depth there, we've got [Izaia] Perese there who's been playing well for the Waratahs, obviously La [Lalakai Foketi] is there as well who can shift from 12 to 13... I'll do whatever is best for the team, I still think my performance out there wasn't great, I wanted to get more ball touches and especially defensively just get more comfortable at 13 if I was to play there.
"But again we've got Izzy Perese there, he's been training the house down and some other backs that can fill that role."
PUMAS SHOW THERE'S MORE TO THEM THAN MEETS THE EYE
Argentina were fully deserving of their win at CommBank Stadium. While it took yet another piece of Wallabies indiscipline and a last-gasp try from Juan Martin Gonzalez to get them home, they largely played the better rugby in their 34-31 victory.
Right from the outset it was clear that Argentina were going to be a significantly improved team from the one that faced the All Blacks, that first run critical for a team that no longer has the continuity of the Jaguares' Super Rugby franchise.
Mateo Carreras opened up the Wallabies in virtually the first minute, the winger turning the usually defensively-sound Ikitau inside out to set the visitors immediately on the attack.
Throughout the match Argentina were able to build long phase sequences with ball in hand, that resulted in tries on two occasions to Jeronimo de la Fuente and skipper Julian Montoya. Their ruck work was vastly superior to that of the Wallabies, the speed of recycle eventually wearing down the Australian defence.
It wasn't perfect, clearly, but after last week's hammering by the All Blacks it was a hugely important result for a Pumas team that will fancy its chance of reaching the semifinals, at least, in France later this year.
"You're definitely right about not always finishing if off, because we had some great opportunities," Cheika said of his team's attack. "But last year we probably played with less possession in most games, and we're trying to work out how we can play with more possession but still have balance around our game.
"And like I said, our players are coming off the back of a long [season], I wanted them to have a good break after they finished their club duties in Europe because they never get it; they're playing 12 months of the year, it's just for the head more than anything.
"And then a few weeks of just getting prepared, physical, spend some time on yourself; it's funny because the guys who are here with us now, the guys who played in the Top 14 finals, there's probably half a dozen of them, and they're busting my chops 'can we just play?'
"And the attacking side of the game is something we definitely need to improve from last year. We didn't focus on it too much last year but we know that if we are going to do well at the World Cup we need to have that game, we need to have that as part of our game, you can't just play defensive kicks and go and chase, there [are] really good teams out there who are going to score tries against you, like Australia."
SPRINGBOKS LAMENT POOR START, NOT 50/50 CALLS
Saturday night's Test at Mt. Smart Stadium certainly didn't disappoint, with the All Blacks and Springboks adding yet another ferocious encounter to their long list of storied battles.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they were blown off the paddock in the opening 20 minutes, much like the Pumas had been a week earlier, conceding a 17-0 lead to a team that ranks among the greatest frontrunners in any sport.
The All Blacks burst out of the blocks with tries to Aaron Smith and Shannon Frizell, taking a firm foothold they were never going to relinquish.
"The start was not idea for us, the first 20 minutes we struggled to get into the game because of poor discipline. I think we gave away four consecutive penalties," Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber said.
"We made a lot of mistakes and those errors put us under pressure. The quality side that New Zealand are, they were able to capitalise and we had to play catch-up rugby for the rest of the game... it is similar to what they did against Argentina, and on their end of year tour (last November), so we knew it was coming, we just couldn't handle it.
"We can't start like that, with that many penalties and errors. Some of them were unforced from our side, but others were from the pressure they exerted on us. You can't play catch-up rugby when you get to the World Cup," he said.
"I am proud of the guys with the way they came back, but we let it slip in the first 20 minutes."
There was however one huge first-half call that went against the Springboks, with winger Cheslin Kolbe adjudged to have knocked on when contesting a cross-kick from Faf de Klerk with Beauden Barrett.
The All Blacks fullback fumbled the ball, opening up the opportunity for Kolbe to force it in-goal, which he claimed to have done. The trouble was that the available replays seemed to convey different results, with the angle from the field appearing to show a successful grounding, while the one coming from the dead-ball line seemed to suggest Kolbe had in fact bounced the ball.
In the end, Television Match Official Ben Whitehouse wasn't convinced Kolbe had successfully grounded with the ball and ruled it no-try as a result.
It was certainly a 50/50 call, but the Springboks then probably got one back in the second half when Kolbe flew into the right-hand corner after a searing cut-out pass from Wille le Roux.
This time there was a question mark on whether le Roux's pass had travelled forward, but with no compelling evidence to overturn it the five-pointer stood.
So while the Springboks might have had some cause to bemoan the decision against them in the first half, they probably walked away with the 50/50-call ledger squared after Kolbe was given the green light in the second stanza.
There were no complaints from renowned referee reviewer, Rassie Erasmus, anyway, South Africa's director of rugby tweeting that on-field referee Mathieu Raynal's performance was "much better than ours".