Former Wallaby players fear for Australia's chances of winning a third Rugby World Cup in France after seeing them scramble to victory over a second-string Wales side.
Australia escaped with a winning try after the full-time siren to pip Wales 29-23 Saturday in the first of their two rugby internationals in the lead-up to the World Cup in September.
Nick Farr-Jones, who led the Wallabies to their first World Cup triumph in 1991, was alarmed by the error-strewn display.
The former Test scrum-half said the attempt to inject new backline players at such a late stage of the World Cup build-up had been left too long and was now fraught with danger.
Farr-Jones said he would not be backing the Wallabies to emulate his side's success 16 years ago.
Farr-Jones told Monday's Daily Telegraph newspaper: ‘If we come up against South Africa in a quarter-final we would be 5/1 just to win that game.
‘History has told us the more an Aussie gets written off the more he can rise to the occasion.
‘But to win a World Cup you have to win three big (knockout) games.
‘I can see us maybe winning one. I can't see us winning three.’
Farr-Jones said the secret to the 1991 success was the infusion of young talent into the side in the early stages of the World Cup countdown.
He said: ‘The coach Bob Dwyer and his fellow selectors, in their wisdom, were bringing in players like Jason Little, Tim Horan, Phil Kearns, Tony Daly, Ewen McKenzie and Willie Ofahengaue two years before the tournament.
‘They were blooding them when they had hardly been heard of.
‘There was only one freak who came into the 1991 team in the year of the World Cup and that was John Eales.
‘You've got to be putting your jigsaw together 24 months prior.
‘That jigsaw involves experienced guys but also a bunch of young guys who can strut their stuff, chance their arm, be hugely athletic and give a really good balance to a team.
‘I felt for some of those guys on Saturday night who had hardly played any Tests or were debuting. It's big pressure so close to the World Cup.
‘But the lack of execution was quite alarming. Balls were going to ground, passes were in front and behind people. I thought it was pretty shoddy.’
Another former Wallabies' captain, Tony Shaw, said the injury-time escape act would serve as a confidence booster, but he lamented the team's overall performance.
He said: ‘There should be no more messy changing.
‘We've got to get some stability.
‘The fact we resurrected the game and got a win was a huge plus but we were looking down the barrel of an embarrassing loss.
Former Test flanker Simon Poidevin said it would be vital to beat a full-strength Wales when the two sides meet in a World Cup pool match in Cardiff on September 15.
The loser will almost certainly be consigned to second place in the group and a likely showdown with the Springboks for a spot in the semi-finals.
‘Poidevin said: ‘I watched South Africa and England after the Wallabies game and the intensity and strength of the Springbok forward pack was spectacular.’
