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It might be unfair to suggest it was all downhill for Robbie Deans after his brilliant start as Wallabies coach, but there was perhaps too many false dawns during his chequered tenure.
The five-time Super Rugby title-winning coach commenced his commission with five straight victories, including a heartening triumph over his native New Zealand.
But it was a winning streak Australia were never ever able to equal over the remainder of Deans’ record 74-Test reign.
On seven subsequent occasions, the Wallabies had their winning run snapped at three, a statistic which ensured they never seriously threatened the All Blacks’ grip on the No.1 world ranking.
That first run of dazzling wins included a 16-9 victory over world champions South Africa in Perth and ended with the stunning 34-19 conquest of New Zealand in Sydney a week later.
The All Blacks delivered a sobering reality check to Deans and Australian rugby fans with a 39-10 shellacking of the Wallabies in Auckland just a week after that 2008 game in Sydney.
While Deans enjoyed success in his first match against the country of his birth, he then endured 10 straight losses against the All Blacks.
It was to become an unwanted trademark of Deans’ tenure that Australia were consistently unable to back up outstanding performances.
That was underlined in late August of 2008 when a 27-15 win over the Springboks in Durban was followed a week later by a crushing 53-8 loss to the same opponents in Johannesburg.
The 2009 Tri-Nations was a disaster for Deans, with Australia winning just one of six games.
A serious Tri-Nations challenge never eventuated in 2010 either as a first-up win over South Africa in Brisbane was followed by three successive defeats.
The sagging spirits of Australian rugby fans were lifted by a drought-breaking 41-39 win over the Springboks in Bloemfontein.
It was followed by a one-point loss to New Zealand and a 26-24 triumph over the All Blacks, ending their losing streak against their trans-Tasman foes, while they ended 2010 in spectacular fashion with a 59-16 demolition of France.
The 2011 World Cup year started with a shock home loss to Samoa, but the Wallabies recovered to win a truncated Tri-Nations series with victories in three of their four games and delivered the only major title of Deans’ tenure.
A series-ending win over the All Blacks raised hopes of a glorious World Cup campaign in New Zealand.
However, a loss to Ireland handed Australia a nightmare knockout path to the final and while they bravely held out South Africa in the quarter-finals the Wallabies were beaten 20-6 by New Zealand in the semi-finals.
The 2012 season started the same way as the previous one, with a shock loss, this time against Scotland, though the Australian Rugby Union shouldered much of the blame for the absurd scheduling of the match.
A creditable three-game sweep of Wales – albeit by a total margin of just 12 points – was followed by a 3-3 record in a Tri-Nations campaign during which Australia suffered a staggering injury toll, with team leaders James Horwill, David Pocock and Will Genia all among the casualties.
The Wallabies ended New Zealand’s 16-match winning streak by drawing with them in Brisbane and followed up a first-up Spring tour loss to France with narrow wins over England, Italy and Wales.
The sequence of close games continued through the first two matches of the British and Irish Lions series before the tourists’ thumping win in last weekend’s decider brought the curtain down on Deans’ reign.
All up, Deans presided over 43 wins, 29 losses and two draws – but just three victories in 18 Tests against the All Blacks.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.