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After the first Bledisloe Test I was incensed. The performance against the All Blacks was somehow so poor that it managed to outdo the 3-0 series loss to England.
The careers of certain underperforming Wallabies should have ended forever.
Since then we have been thrashed by the All Blacks 29-9 in New Zealand, and had solid 23-17 and 36-20 home wins over South Africa and Argentina.
Both winning matches could certainly have been improved upon. Were it not for multiple intercept passes against South Africa and poor clearance-kicking against Argentina, coupled with some awful scrum referring that did not allow for our surprising scrum dominance to be utilised, we would have won both matches much more easily.
Nevertheless, there were many positives.
Our forwards finally looked like they were interested in playing Test rugby rather than sleepwalking aimlessly around the park, and began to win the collisions, particularly at the key moments.
Our lineout improved significantly (albeit against weaker defensive lineouts than we faced against New Zealand).
We are finally fielding players capable of clearance kicking, and we used this to great effect against the Springboks (although for some reason we reverted to Bernard Foley kicking against Argentina, with disastrous consequences).
Perhaps most importantly, our backline looked like they knew how to attack for the first time since the opening ten minutes against England.
This was largely to do with playing a number 9 who could consistently find the player he aimed for with his pass, and a 10 who knows how to organise an attack and put players through holes.
Additionally, the introduction of Reece Hodge and Adam Coleman have strengthened the defence of both the back and forward lines.
I also suspect Michael Cheika might have whispered in the ears of some of the underperforming forwards, warning them that if they did not lift their game they would find themselves dropped.
It is hard to gauge where we are now, are we a decent team steadily improving and on track to becoming a good side, or are we terrible and Argentina and South Africa are simply worse?
I come down on the side that we are a decent team. Were we fielding Genia and Quade Cooper in the England series, we would have won at least Games 1 and 3. Big call, I know, but we managed to lose those games despite dominating possession because our 9 and 10 were unable to turn overwhelming possession into enough points. This is not a problem Genia and Cooper have.
The remainder of the year will tell where we are.
I will be disappointed if we do not beat both South Africa and Argentina.
South Africa because, even though they are at home, they are the worst Springboks team I have ever seen. They look aimless and un-coached to a point that is worse than the Wallabies against the All Blacks.
Argentina because we are simply a better side, playing at a field that we enjoy, where neither side possesses a home advantage.
We will lose to the All Blacks at Eden Park, I am unequivocal in saying that.
However, the end of year tour is a big test. We should beat most, if not all, of the Northern Hemisphere teams, who have not looked strong the last couple of years.
Losing to England is understandable, they are a good side, however, if the core of our team remains roughly the same as it is now, we should be able to beat them.
What do you think, what are our chances for the rest of the year? How bad are we, really?
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.