Wallabies coach Michael Cheika must be privately fuming with Michael Hooper, whose ridiculous charge into England fullback Mike Brown has led to him being suspended out of the vital match against Wales on Sunday.
At least Hooper will be fresh and firing for the next assignment, which could turn into a weird blessing in disguise. But his absence has made Australia's job on Sunday so much tougher.
The loser of the Australia-Wales clash will be gone as World Cup contenders, for my money. If Wales lose at Twickenham, they will be beaten by South Africa in the quarter-finals. Australia can certainly beat the Springboks, but it will take so much out of Cheika's squad that they won't be in any shape to go on and take the tile.
And despite a glorious win over England, there are still serious holes in the Wallabies' set-up. Their goalkicking can't be trusted, the middle row in particular will wilt in a run of tough matches, and Israel Folau was way off his game against England and has an ankle injury. And while Matt Giteau is an essential part of the backline setup, he is too small for inside centre. Giteau can make good covering tackles but doesn't have the bulk for the front on stuff.
The Pool of Death has already accounted for England, and in the long run it will also deal to Australia and Wales.
