After six years without a trans-Tasman win and 13 straight defeats, it might be time the Wallabies have a Bledisloe Cup rethink.
They will have three chances to snap that drought before they meet the All Blacks in their highly anticipated Pool A clash at the Rugby World Cup, for which there are only sparing few tickets still available.
But after Saturday's 43-21 defeat at Accor Stadium, when Australia were played off the paddock in a demoralising first half, surely the time has come for the Wallabies to consider confronting the All Blacks in a different manner -- even if it goes against Australian rugby's DNA.
Undoubtedly, skill execution and pass selection let Les Kiss' side down badly inside the first quarter on the weekend.
Tom Wright will look back at the cut-out pass he threw in the 5th minute and shudder, if the fullback had hit either of his centres Isaac Henry or Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, rather than hooker Josh Nasser, Australia would have scored. Eight phases later, All Blacks back-rower Peter Lakai turned the ball over at the breakdown, and Australia's opportunity was gone.
Winger Max Jorgensen, who finished the Test with an astonishing seven line breaks, will meanwhile lament a cut-out pass that sailed beyond Harry Potter just two minutes later, a ball that would have been better served hitting Wright one spot closer in.
When Fraser McReight fumbled a lineout transfer a short while later, Australia's early momentum had evaporated. And then the scoreboard turned ugly, as the All Blacks ran in four tries in 14 minutes.
Whereas Australia's play stagnated after multiple phases, New Zealand's attack continued to hum. Josh Moorby's opening try came after 16 phases, before Beauden Barrett and Peter Lakai crossed after shorter sequences with perfect pass selection and smart offloads.
The ease at which Australia's line was opened up for a second straight week should be a huge concern for defence coach Scott Hansen, so too the 14 tries they conceded across two Bledisloe Tests.
When the Wallabies butchered multiple try-scoring opportunities across both games, it's hard to remember the All Blacks missing one.
They are simply doing it too easily against Australia.
Meanwhile, since the Wallabies last defeated the All Blacks in 2020, each of France, Ireland, Argentina, South Africa and England have all defeated New Zealand at least once.
"The Australian way" simply isn't working for the Wallabies, or at least they lack the skill set or personnel quality to be able to do it for long enough to truly test their greatest rivals.
It's why the Wallabies should take All Blacks coach Dave Rennie's comments about positive play with a dose of skepticism, too.
"I don't think you want all the teams in the world playing the same game," Rennie said.
"If you look at the Wallabies, they're pretty similar to us. They'll want to play, and it's a point of difference, part of the DNA of both sides.
"If you want to just get into arm-wrestles with a couple of the big sides in the world, it'll be a struggle."
Australia's "DNA" has worked against the Springboks, Pumas, England and France in the time since their last win over the All Blacks and should have resulted in a win over Ireland in July, too. They don't need to abandon it completely.
So what's the answer against the All Blacks; to pick as big a pack as possible, stack the defensive line and kick it from first whistle to last?
That might be risky given the All Blacks are the best counter attacking team on the planet. And there is a question as to whether Australia's playmakers have the kicking skill to execute such a game plan -- their efforts off the boot were certainly poor last weekend.
But with Fraser McReight effectively nullified at the breakdown all game - Rennie said post-game that had been a focus of the All Blacks' preparation - a different composition in the back-row might at least present New Zealand a different challenge to confront. Big ball, as opposed to small[er] ball, might at least be worth a shot.
For while Australia's desire to play attacking rugby is admirable, it simply hasn't worked against the All Blacks for the past six years.
Trying a different approach in any of the three Bledisloe Tests before they face New Zealand in their Pool A World Cup clash next year might not be the worst idea out there for Kiss and the Wallabies.
As while Australia and New Zealand like to play the same brand of rugby, the All Blacks simply just play it that much better.