FOUR teams, all among the top six in World Rugby’s rankings as of last Monday, and all four needing to win today to give them much-needed confidence with the World Cup only 10 months away.
In terms of results in the November Tests thus far, South Africa have done slightly better than England and Australia, who play each other to end the autumn internationals after earlier losing two matches each.
Wales are ranked sixth and haven’t had a good year so far.
The South Africans travelled north on a high after beating the All Blacks in Johannesburg in the Rugby Championship in what was their first win against their traditional rivals in six matches from 2012 but were brought down to earth in their opening game by Ireland who won 29-15.
Australia didn’t have much time to get used to new coach Michael Cheika but did enough to beat the Barbarians at Twickenham, followed that up by beating Wales only to lose the next two, against France and Ireland, both by just three points.
For England coach Stuart Lancaster, November hasn’t been a happy month either, losing the opening two matches against the All Blacks and Springboks before turning it around against an unsettled Samoa affected by off-field distractions.
Just like Australia, England lost the two matches only by three points each but that is no consolation for the best teams in the world play to win.
So losing to the Wallabies isn’t on English minds, especially as they host RWC 2015.
They know too that to be the best you have to beat the best and the big three from the south are amongst the best in the world. In seven RWCs, these teams have each won twice.
What the matches so far have done is to reaffirm the strengths and weaknesses of the teams.
For New Zealand, the players and officials must be enjoying their break knowing fully well that not many can match them in terms of skills set, fitness, pace, precision and composure.
They may occasionally play below the high standards they set for themselves but you rarely see the world champions playing two sub-standard Tests on consecutive weekends.
The Springboks now use their strong running backs more and kick the aerial bombs less but after showing much promise in the Rugby Championship, flyhalf Handre Pollard seems to have lost his bearings on this tour and has lost his starting place to Patrick Lambie.
They will be slightly weakened however against Wales because of the non-availability of their foreign-based players.
Thus, this may be the best opportunity for Warren Gatland, who has now coached Wales to 33 wins, one draw and 35 defeats since being appointed in 2007. The other downside is Wales have won only once in 27 matches against the southern big three.
They showed glimpses of their strength against the All Blacks last weekend, leading 16-15 with 11 minutes to go, only to be sunk by three late tries.
The Wallabies too may have high ambitions to do much better but they have to be more clinical and composed than their last 11 minutes in that defeat against the Irish.
They were on the offensive in the last quarter of the opposite end but were first undone by three knock-ons.
But they did not give up, although with two and a half minutes left they had to win a lineout about 70 metres away from Ireland’s goal-line.
At one point the Wallabies took play up to the opposite 10-metre line but then got pushed back into their own half.
Eleven phases later and they were still around the halfway line. A ruck and possession lost to a penalty seconds from the hooter.
Who then among the four will finish their 2014 calendar with a flourish?