Sir Graham Henry's words on the "woeful" Wallabies have been taken with a pinch of salt, but do the numbers back up the former All Black coach's words?
Back-to-back victories over South Africa and Argentina will have Wallabies' fans thinking they've turned a corner, while the All Blacks' fans celebrate more silverware after the team wrapped up the Rugby Championship after just four games.
It's already clear the two have drastic differences in depth. There were fears the All Blacks would take the foot off the gas once a raft of stars moved on, but it appears another gear has been found.
Henry, speaking to Newstalk ZB, didn't hold back when asked his assessment on the green and golds.
"I think it's probably the worst Australian team I have ever seen and that's a real worry for the game," he said prior to the Wallabies 36-20 win over the Pumas.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said he doesn't care what Henry says, while former fullback Greg Martin told the world cup winning coach "he can shove it".
Cheika's coaching record sits a shade over 52 percent of games won with just one victory in five games against the All Blacks.
It's an improvement on previous coach Ewen McKenzie's 50 percent record (no wins against the All Blacks), but it pales in comparison to Robbie Deans' 59 percent (three wins in 18 matches).
Michael Cheika runs through a Wallabies training session (Getty Images)
While Henry's words might have been intended to be the poison chalice to a wounded Wallabies, the last two matches may have turned Australia's fortunes back around.
Henry's words scream the "what have you done lately" sentiment.
Prior to a sluggish 2016, Cheika guided the Wallabies past the All Blacks in his first attempt and marched them to last year's Rugby World Cup final.
However, since then they lost six on the bounce, including being swept aside by England in three Tests on home soil and a 42-8 thrashing at the hands of the All Blacks in Sydney.
The onus might not all be on the Wallabies here, but maybe the All Blacks and their dominance overshadowing their trans-Tasman rivals.
The All Blacks have won 15 on the trot, the last defeat coming in August 2015 against Cheika's men.
Hansen's head coaching record sits at an impressive winning record of 92 percent, a jump up from Henry's own 85 percent when he was in charge from 2004 to 2011.
If anything, the 2016 Rugby Championship might put a new spin on how Deans' time as Wallabies coach is remembered.
Newshub.
