A 13th straight Bledisloe defeat has sounded the alarm for Australia, a year before they host the All Blacks at a home World Cup in Sydney.
The honeymoon is over for Les Kiss. Australia's latest Bledisloe Cup defeat to the All Blacks, their 13th in a row in the fixture, was a harsh reminder of where the Wallabies sit in rugby's pecking order.
The result stings because of the momentum Kiss had built. His side beat world number one South Africa last month and went unbeaten through their first six Tests under his watch. Hopes were rising that a gold resurgence was under way.
The warning signs showed a week earlier at Eden Park. The Wallabies went into half-time level with New Zealand, then gave up 26 unanswered points after the break. That fade showed up the fault lines in their depth, composure and ability to finish big matches.
What makes it worse is that the All Blacks were understrength and still cleared the gap with ease. The two sides meet again in Sydney at the World Cup in a year, with Australia as hosts. Kiss has that long to close the gulf, or the home tournament could turn into an embarrassment.
