The Wallabies are set to commence their training preparation after arriving in Cape Town on Monday, with reinforcements and consistency top of the agenda.
Australia’s shock victory at Ellis Park has been the talk of the rugby world, with South Africa losing their number one ranking and several key players in the aftermath.
The Wallabies did not leave Johannesburg unscathed either, with James Slipper and Dylan Pietsch both ruled out of this weekend’s rematch.
However, speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Andrew Kellaway believes the side now needs to deliver on the Achilles heel that has plagued Australian rugby for the last decade: consistency.
“I don't think you change the way you prepare,” the 42-capped Wallaby explained.
“Mentally, we have to make sure that we're ready, because at this point, it's the biggest challenge in world rugby is coming up against the Springboks.
“The Boks have been the benchmark globally for a little while now. To beat them anywhere, home, away, is an amazing achievement. To beat them in South Africa is something we haven't done for a very long time.
“But again, [if] you have one good win and you don't follow it up, and you're pretty quickly chasing your tail. For us, it's about enjoying it, and understanding just how big that win was for us, but also understanding how big this week is, because that the journey is a long one, and it doesn't stop.
“It's important to keep going.”
Mentioned by Tom Hooper last week that the side is in the “business of getting better”, Kellaway has been quick to not only turn to his own processes to prepare for next week, but also to the experienced heads and coaching staff in the group.
The experienced halves combination of James O’Connor and Nic White has had a major part in that as well.
“We've got extremely experienced staff… that's been fantastic. I mentioned the strategy and the tactics just prior add into that guys like Whitey and Rabs [O’Connor], who can add a lot of value there.
“But then underneath that, within the team, there's this really strong core group of guys who've been around for a little while, and I think naturally when you see some consistency in the team, that sort of translates into whatever you want to call it, cohesion, combinations, all that sort of stuff.
“I'm certainly feeling that, and it's a really enjoyable environment to be in at the moment.
“What we're seeing is the benefit of the last three or four years worth of planning, where guys have now had 30 or 40 caps as opposed to 10 or 20. They've got the lived experience to fall back on, especially when they're under pressure.
“I'd also add, we've won two games back to back. That is a form of consistency.
“But what we're actually looking for is a lot longer streak of consistent performances, not necessarily wins.
“We're definitely on the right track, but we're nowhere near where we want to be.”
Despite the praise across the rugby world, Kellaway and the Wallabies are firmly pumping the brakes on expectations as they prepare to face a wounded Springbok outfit at DHL Stadium - a venue where they haven’t won since 1992.
“What we've seen from the Springboks over the last four to eight years is a pretty strong game plan that hasn't deviated too much,” Kellaway said.
“It's really worked well for them. The box kick to compete, then the physicality around the kick chase.
“We're always expecting that from the Springboks, but more so in rugby at the moment, that is a pretty big staple. That doesn't change for us. We're always working on that sort of stuff.
“The preparation is different every week for every opposition. What we do know this week is that the Boks are going to respond, so we need to prepare ourselves physically for that.
“They're the benchmark.”
