All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says the Wallabies will be a different team without Israel Folau and will need to move quickly to replace his game-breaking qualities.
Hansen said the termination of Folau's four-year contract was disappointing for rugby in Australia and a lesson to all players about the perils of social media.
He hoped the sport could put all the negative headlines behind it following the drawn-out process that had resulted in the star fullback's sacking over a homophobic Instagram post.
On the field, Hansen said counterpart Michael Cheika faced a race against time to instil a new playing method without Folau, who had been Australia's key attacking weapon since his 2013 test debut.
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"They will be different, like he's such a great player and it's disappointing for Australia that this whole thing has happened," Hansen told journalists.
"It has and they'll want to move on from that.
"When you play test matches, you want to play against the best, but they've got some quality players to play fullback. I'm sure they'll put players in with similar skill."
Folau's actions delivered a reminder to players about the need for care when making public pronouncements, Hansen said.
Being sensible on social media had become a necessary duty for any professional player because of their profile, he said.
"People can have their own beliefs - there's nothing wrong with that - as long as it's not damaging the beliefs of the team or the organisation that you work for," he said.
AAP
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