Australia and New Zealand meet again at a sold-out Perth Stadium on Saturday (10.45am Irish time), a week after a bruising battle at Eden Park, hoping to lay claim to the Rugby Championship trophy, if only temporarily.
The champagne will be on ice for the victors, though, with South Africa in the box seat to secure back-to-back titles with a win over Argentina at Twickenham (2pm).
That prospect should do nothing to dampen the intensity of the showdown in Perth, where the much-improved hosts will look to give prop James Slipper the send-off he deserves in his 151st and final international.
Scott Robertson's All Blacks, meanwhile, will be desperate to preserve their traditional dominance over their trans-Tasman rivals.
New Zealand already locked away the bilateral Bledisloe Cup with a 33-24 win at Eden Park but will want to sign off on a high note from the Rugby Championship after what has at times been a sobering campaign.
The record Test defeat against a rejuvenated South Africa in Wellington and first-ever loss in Argentina against the Pumas made the All Blacks seem more like a fading force than a global superpower halfway through the World Cup cycle.
Defeat by Australia, their traditional punching-bag, would be another crushing blow to New Zealand egos and put Robertson and his staff under renewed pressure.
The Wallabies are in a happier place under former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt despite their 2-3 losing record in the tournament.
The blow-out losses of Schmidt's first season in charge are only a year removed but now seem from a long-bygone era.
Fans have packed out their home matches this season for more valiant defeats than wins but most hold hope that, finally, the tide had has turned for the 2027 World Cup hosts.
But for a late yellow card and the capricious refereeing of Andrea Piardi, Australia might have left Eden Park as winners and with a shot at reclaiming the Bledisloe for the first time in 23 years.
As it was, they left with a 10th successive loss to the All Blacks and a sense of being aggrieved that may prove useful in squaring the ledger in Perth.
"If we could get a win this week, at worst, we'd finish second," Schmidt told reporters on Thursday.
"That would be incredible compared to last season and the season before that.
"I do think there's growth in the team and I can't guarantee that's going to be linear but I can pretty much guarantee the effort's going to be there."
Australia will be stronger for the addition of lock Will Skelton, who has made the trip from France, and loose forward Rob Valetini, recalled on the bench after missing Eden Park with a calf niggle.
With out-half James O’Connor benched after a full game at Eden Park and some costly errors with the boot, Schmidt has gambled on Tane Edmed coming good in the number 10 jersey after his shaky starting debut in the Sydney defeat by the Pumas.
Robertson has also thrown caution to the wind, dumping centre Billy Proctor in favour of Quinn Tupaea and giving Leicester Fainga’anuku a place on the wing for his first test since the 2023 World Cup.
With a heavy injury toll from Eden Park, New Zealand appear as vulnerable as they ever have which, for the Wallabies, may make them as dangerous as ever.
Kiwi Lock Tupou Vaa'i has been ruled out after injuring his right knee in training, the team said.
Fabian Holland will take Vaa'i's place in the starting side with Patrick Tuipulotu providing cover off the bench.
Meanwhile, South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has stuck largely with the side that romped to a 67-30 win over Los Pumas in Durban, with only experienced prop Ox Nche (above) returning from injury in place of Boan Venter.
Hooker Bongi Mbonambi, who starts on the bench, is also back from a lay-off and said the Springboks expect a fired-up Argentina.
"If you watch last week's game, you’ll see that it was not as easy as the score may suggest," Mbonambi told reporters.
"A lot can happen in a week in rugby, so we need to go out there and give our best to get the result we want.
"They’ll be hurting, so we have a big challenge ahead, but we’ve done our homework, and our preparation has been going well. That said, it’s definitely going to be an arm-wrestle of a match. We expect a proper retaliation from them."
Argentina have made seven changes to their side, and moved Santiago Carreras (below) from out-half to full-back.
They have already beaten New Zealand (home) and Australia (away) in this year’s championship, but are out of the running for the title ahead of what is their 'home’ fixture in London.
"The focus will be on the precision with which we play," Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi said.
"South Africa is a team that does what it does very well, they are very precise in the game plan they have.
"For us it is to try to win that strategic battle in order to be more competitive."
It is the second time a Rugby Championship fixture has been played in the northern hemisphere after Argentina hosted Australia at Twickenham in 2016 and lost 33-21.
Australia: Max Jorgensen; Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Filipo Daugunu; Tane Edmed, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, Billy Pollard, Allan Alaalatoa; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt).
Replacements: Josh Nasser, Tom Robertson, Taniela Tupou, Jeremy Williams, Rob Valetini, Ryan Lonergan, James O'Connor, Josh Flook.
New Zealand: Will Jordan; Leroy Carter, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Leicester Fainga'anuku; Damian McKenzie, Cam Roigard; Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell; Scott Barrett (capt), Fabian Holland; Simon Parker, Ardie Savea, Peter Lakai.
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei'aho, George Bower, Pasilio Tosi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Wallace Sititi, Cortez Ratima, Rieko Ioane, Ruben Love.
Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Bautista Delguy, Justo Piccardo, Santiago Chocobares, Juan Cruz Mallia; Geronimo Prisciantelli, Simon Benitez Cruz; Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya (capt), Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, Santiago Grondona.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Boris Wenger, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Franco Molina, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo Agustin Moyano, Rodrigo Isgro.
South Africa: Damian Willemse; Cheslin Kolbe, Canan Moodie, Damian de Allende, Ethan Hooker; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach; Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit; Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Nortje; Siya Kolisi (capt), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel.
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