Right now Australia are unbeaten and leading the 2022 Rugby Championship. Let that sink in for a moment. For long-suffering fans it is a break in the clouds, a ray of light casting everything and everyone in Wallaby gold, a rugby rainbow that’s beautiful because it cannot last.
Or can it? After all, Australia defeated the team sitting third (Argentina) on the weekend. Currently sitting second (South Africa) are a side the Wallabies conquered twice last year.
And the team in fourth (New Zealand) are in an almighty slump, having lost three Tests in a row for the first time in 24 years.
The All Blacks have now lost five of their last six Tests, and up until Sunday, so had the Wallabies. But the 41-26 win against Los Pumas has instilled hope, much of it drawn from the way it was won.