Rugby Championship: Five things we've learned from Round Two

The second weekend of action from the 2024 Rugby Championship campaign has come and gone and the table does not make happy reading for Wallabies fans.

Australia sit rock-bottom after two bruising defeats on home soil against South Africa and new Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt is quickly learning the scale of the task ahead of him with the national side.

With the Wallabies suffering a 30-12 defeat to the Boks in Perth and New Zealand responding to beat Argentina 42-10 in Auckland, here are five things we learned from Round Two of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

Defence a concern for Wallabies

Conceding 63 points over two Test matches on home soil will certainly be a concern for Schmidt after the opening couple of rounds.

It was never going to be an overnight fix to get the Wallabies back competing for silverware but two heavy defeats to the Boks will certainly be a concern for the New Zealander.

Defence is an issue that will need working on before Australia head out to La Plata to face Argentina on 1st September.

The Wallabies are 3.25 to win that game in South America, while the Pumas are the favourites at 1.37.

Boks’ strength in depth frightening

Making no less than 10 changes from the first round and the second, South Africa once again showed what incredible strength in depth they have in their squad.

Questioned by some for being “disrespectful” to Australia for making so many changes for the match in Perth, this is just what this Springboks side have been doing in recent years.

Capable of putting out two different sides that would both challenge in the latter stages of a World Cup, perhaps this is the year the Boks can finally get their hands on the Rugby Championship trophy.

All Blacks put Wellington nightmare to bed

After a shock defeat in Wellington, the All Blacks showed their true colours with a comprehensive win over Argentina at Eden Park.

The Auckland ground, in contrast to Wellington, has always helped New Zealand deliver positive results and they certainly needed it after a shock 38-30 defeat to the Pumas at Sky Stadium.

Playing with the attacking freedom we know they can, head coach Scott Robertson will have been a relieved man to see his All Blacks finding their rhythm.

Johannesburg clash could decide title fate

All eyes will now be on Ellis Park for the heavyweight showdown between South Africa and New Zealand on 1st September.

The Boks are 1.33 favourites to claim the win, while the All Blacks are 3.40 to leave Johannesburg with the spoils.

These sides have played out some iconic clashes over the years and this encounter at Ellis Park could well be another one for the ages.

Pumas will target Wallabies clashes

It was always going to be tough for Argentina to follow up their win in Wellington with success in Auckland last weekend.

If someone would have offered the Pumas one win in their two-Test run in New Zealand, it’s highly likely they would have taken it.

With two home games to come against a fragile Wallabies side, the Pumas should fancy their chances of chalking up a couple of wins over the coming weeks.