The Rugby Championship is always a very important competition for SANZAAR sides, but ahead of Rugby World Cup years as one of the final points of preparation, it becomes a massive ordeal. 

With the 2023 TRC being cut from the normal six games to three because of that fact, consider this year’s competition to be the final step toward the grandest competition in international rugby. Where those in SANZAAR currently stand heading into France in September, however, are in vastly different positions and trajectories. 

Two matches have been completed, and with one more remaining — and the clock continuing to tick before pool play gets underway at the RWC — time is running out for any issues to be resolved and tactics to be adjusted. 

Here are five of the biggest talking points from the first two rounds of the 2023 Rugby Championship, with the final round of the competition scheduled for this weekend and streamed live on FloRugby: 

All Blacks Look Recovered From Shaky 2022 

Remember when calls for Ian Foster’s job were pouring in for much of this past summer in the New Zealand camp after an all-time low drop to fifth in the world rankings following a home series loss to Ireland and a notorious defeat in Christchurch to Argentina in last year’s Rugby Championship? Well, even as Foster won’t be in charge of the All Blacks following the World Cup — Scott Robertson, the architect of the Crusaders dynasty in Super Rugby, will take over then — credit must be given to him for steering the ship and correcting course when his feet were held to the fire. New Zealand hasn’t lost since that Argentina defeat, acquiring eight wins with one draw, and leads the Rugby Championship table, having all but locked up its third straight title in the competition in its abbreviated format for this year. The All Blacks ripped Los Pumas apart in this year’s opener in Mendoza, propelled by five first-half tries in a 41-12 decimation, and the fast start was repeated against South Africa on July 15 when NZ led 17-0 after 15 minutes, helping the All Blacks hold off the Springboks’ comeback attempts in a 35-20 triumph in Auckland. Holding a four-point cushion heading into the final round against Bledisloe Cup rival Australia — who New Zealand hasn’t lost the annual competition to since 2002 — Foster’s side looks well-prepped to make a run at retaining the World Cup title they lost in 2019.  

Will Jordan was on another level today for the @AllBlacks #NZLvsRSA #RugbyChampionship #AllBlacks #WillJordan pic.twitter.com/p0r2lWe00v

— FloRugby (@FloRugby) July 15, 2023

Smith’s Farewell Stretch Off to Flying Start 

Aaron Smith may be bound for Japan once the new year arrives, but he’s got some business left to take care of with the national team he’s made so many memories for before he departs. The 34-year-old World Cup winner and the All Blacks’ all-time leader in caps from a back, Smith — who will join Toyota Verblitz along with another legendary player in Beauden Barrett — scored first-half tries in both of New Zealand’s victories in the Rugby Championship to this point, showcasing that although it’s likely to be the Highlanders man’s final World Cup for his country in a couple of months, he’s still got the class and quality to make a difference and be a vital veteran, experienced presence for an All Blacks side that brought 14 players aged 25 or younger to the Rugby Championship, providing a bit of an indication to where Foster stands on World Cup selection in just a few weeks’ time. Consider recent Rugby Championship play a good sign, then, that New Zealand’s highly successful (and older-aged) core of the likes of Smith, Barrett, Sam Cane, Richie Mo’unga and others — all either currently in their primes or likely on the waning edge — are ready to make vital differences as the best of the best in the world on the biggest stage in international rugby collide in France soon. 

The Rugby Championship Team Of The Week RD2

Boks’ Repeat Prep Needs Some Tweaking 

South Africa has been known for underperformance in the Rugby Championship before, only winning the competition once in the four-team era (since 2012). But following an underwhelming performance against New Zealand just weeks away from defending its World Cup title, perhaps there may be a bit of a cause for alarm in the Springboks’ ranks with the targets bound to be on their backs in France. The All Blacks’ win and retainment of the Freedom Cup at the Mount Smart Stadium has all but certainly knocked South Africa out of the running for its first Rugby Championship win since 2019 (barring a stunning Australia win over New Zealand and a Bok's triumph over Argentina in the most likely scenario), but it was the fluidity and quality of the All Blacks — getting out to a big lead early on and looking in top form throughout — in that Round 2 defeat that may be the most alarming aspect about the result for South Africa and its supporters. However, the history of the Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship shows not to take results entering a World Cup at face value. South Africa’s Rugby Championship/World Cup double four years ago was actually the first time it had ever occurred; not even the back-to-back All Blacks teams that repeated World Cup wins in 2011 and 2015 did it as Australia won the TRC beforehand both years nor did it happen in 2007, 2003 or 1999, with the Tri-Nations being played for the first time in 1996. The Rugby Championship can certainly be seen as a bit of a preview for what the SANZAAR sides will bring to the table in World Cup years, but performances of the teams within certainly shouldn’t be taken as gospel. 

Wallabies’ New Era Weak Out of the Gates 

With the country’s rugby union scene in a tailspin at this time last summer, with the Wallabies sitting at an all-time low ninth in the world, Rugby Australia made the move at the end of the year to sack Dave Rennie and bring in a throwback to better times by hiring ex-manager Eddie Jones, the sacked England boss and native Aussie who took his home country to a runner-up medal at the 2003 World Cup. Two decades later, while needing to prep Australia for another World Cup, things have gone drastically differently instead — and the pressure may already be on Jones to pick up the pace after much hype and attention. Jones’s return to the touchline began with a whimper as Australia was smashed 43-12 by South Africa (with internationally retiring co-captain Michael Hooper injuring his calf days before and being forced to sit, to make matters worse), which was followed by a disastrous 34-31 defeat to Argentina in Sydney that made it back-to-back losses to Los Pumas for the first time ever and five straight losses in the Rugby Championship overall. Anchored to the bottom of the table on just one point and a minus-34 scoring differential, Australia’s Trans-Tasman neighbour that’s bullied them for 21 years looks white-hot while the Wallabies, in Jones’ colourful terms following the Argentina loss, look closer to a Datsun 1200. The form must change on the pitch for Australia, and fast. 

Cheika’s Argentina Continues to Cause Hijinks 

Beware of Pumas in the vicinity, unlike Eddie Jones at the moment. One boss with Wallabies connections that can feel quite good about where his squad is heading into France is Argentina coach Michael Cheika—appointed last year to lead Los Pumas on the touchline following a resume that included a stint coaching Australia from 2014-19. Their win over Australia was merely another shock in a growing list of them for Cheika in South America, particularly on the road, as in the past year alone, Argentina has defeated New Zealand, England and now the Aussies all on its opponents' home soil, the latter victory of which boosted Argentina above the Wallabies in the latest World Rugby Rankings in seventh. If Los Pumas have another stunner in them when they travel to play the Springboks in Johannesburg in a fixture that will essentially decide second place in the table, a message will be firmly sent to Argentina’s opponents at the World Cup that this is not a unit with plans to have a quick exit. Edinburgh man Emiliano Boffelli was excellent in last year’s Rugby Championship — which Argentina was legitimately in the running for most of the way — and looks great again with 16 points scored thus far in this year’s competition, while the men around him that wear the Pumas’ shirt look to be on a major upward trajectory at just the right time, especially with a winnable Pool D (featuring England, Japan, Samoa and debutants Chile) ahead of them in early September. 

Cheika and Matera are clearly at the races today in terms of emotions 👀#RugbyChampionship #AUSvsARG #TRC2023 pic.twitter.com/jy6DrtHvA6

— Philip Bendon (@PBendon) July 15, 2023