Wallabies dealt a reality check in heavy loss to South Africa

The Eddie Jones era was officially here and optimism was through the roof as Australia prepared to face South Africa in Pretoria.

It would have been easy to think the coach's magic dust had turned the Wallabies into world beaters when Marika Koroibete crossed to open the scoring in just the eighth minute.

The facade, however, was shattered moments later as the Springboks relentlessly battered their opponents into submission on the way to a thumping 43-12 victory.

It was a painful reminder of a past Australian fans had hoped to leave behind with the sacking of former coach Dave Rennie.

For all the talk of a new dawn, the stark reality is little has changed. The old issues that recurred under Rennie reared their ugly heads in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Wallabies were battered at the breakdown and lost the physical contest. Their discipline cost them dearly, losing the penalty count 13-3, conceding two penalty tries with two men sent to the sin bin.

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The set-piece struggled and Jones' side made numerous errors while failing to execute their kick-heavy game plan.

The Wallabies have just four more games before the World Cup, the defeat raising questions about how the coach can turn the ship around in such a short space of time.

Changes should be expected for Saturday's clash with Argentina in Sydney. The return of injured props Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell will add starch up front, while Jones will be desperate for Andrew Kellaway to prove his fitness.

Where the back fits in, however, is unclear. Winger Suliasi Vunivalu, the coach's pet project, struggled in just his second Test appearance while ACT fullback Tom Wright remains a work in progress in the No.15 jumper.

Whether Jones has the time to stick solid is yet to be seen, but he must decide quickly or risk travelling to France for the World Cup with an unsettled backline.

Central to that decision is how long he sticks with Quade Cooper before throwing the keys to exciting youngster Carter Gordon.

The Melbourne Rebels flyhalf added a different element in attack when injected into the contest, after Cooper struggled to exert his influence.

In Gordon, Jones has a raw playmaker who brings a degree of unpredictability and X factor to the field.

How that translates in the Test arena remains to be seen. Cooper and Bernard Foley provide a steady pair of hands, solid if not spectacular, and are a low-risk option at the World Cup.

Jones made no effort to hide his disappointment after the loss, the performance well below both his and the public's expectations.

The coach, however, has been here before. Many have doubted his ability to produce wins and more often than not, he delivers.

There was outrage in 2003 when the All Blacks put 50 on Australia in the 2003 Bledisloe Cup. Just three months later, the Wallabies stunned New Zealand at the World Cup.

Jones has a history of playing the long game and the final judgement won't come until after the campaign concludes in France. Sunday, however, showed just how small the margin for error is as the coach looks to pull off a heist at the World Cup.

SOUTH AFRICA (Kurt-Lee Arendse 3, Pieter-Steph du Toit 1 try, 2 penalty tries; Manie Libbok 3 conversions, 1 penalty goal) bt AUSTRALIA (Marika Koroibete, Carter Gordon tries; Carter Gordon 1 conversion) at Pretoria. Crowd 50,089.

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