Beauden Barrett impressed at fullback but played patchily at first five eighth in the All Blacks' comeback win in Pretoria.

OPINION: How long will the All Blacks persist with Beauden Barrett at No.10?

The answer to that, given their seeming reluctance to back Richie Mo'unga, may be all the way to the World Cup.

That would certainly be what their serious rivals are hoping for, as Barrett was again outplayed by Handre Pollard for 50 minutes in Pretoria before being moved to fullback.

The All Blacks were poor all round in that period but Barrett could not use what little ball they had, always going wide first or badly misjudging his tactical kicks.

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HANNAH PETERS/GETTY The All Blacks could not cope with Malcolm Marx at the breakdown.

Yet as as soon as Mo'unga came on the attack straightened up and when the game was there to be won Mo'unga won it with a 60-metre touchfinder and cool conversion.

Some will say he had a bit of fortune with the bounce of the ball. Look again. He was exploiting the space in behind the Springboks at TJ Perenara's urging. Besides, he has been doing the same thing all year for the Crusaders.

Gonzalo Prados Australian coach Michael Cheika may have saved his job after the Wallabies' second half comeback in Argentina.

There is a gap between Mo'unga and Barrett at No.10 that is becoming a gulf, and in his 30 minutes at the back Barrett showed what an incredible fullback option he is.

No one else in the world could have prevented Aphiwe Dyantyi from scoring after the wing had kicked ahead but was foiled by Barrett's pace.

Daniel Jayo Bernard Foley brought back precision to the Wallabies backline after his recall at first five eighth.

2. Malcolm Marx is becoming the All Blacks' nemesis

All Blacks midfielder Ryan Crotty backed hooker Codie Taylor before the game, but there wouldn't be a soul in South Africa who would swap Malcolm Marx for Taylor.

Marx physically dominated the All Blacks over the ball – they just couldn't shift him – and won every collision when he carried the ball.

His lineout throwing is still a little clunky but improving and it certainly doesn't detract from his all-round game. When he and Faf de Klerk were replaced in the final stages the Springboks didn't look like the same side and the All Blacks pounced. Have ever two substitutions been quite so costly?

Cameron Spencer Allan Alaalatoa has made an impressive return at tighthead prop for the Wallabies.

3: How close was Michael Cheika to losing his job?

We might never know, but we can have an educated guess. At half-time against the Pumas in Salta, the Wallabies were heading for a world ranking of No.8 and Rugby Australia would have been well within its rights to ask the coach to move on.

Cheika's half-time spray might be portrayed as the words that saved his job, but more likely they were asking how a team wearing Wallabies gold could be so poor, so devoid of passion or smarts. It was Cheika as the enraged Wallabies fan from the Gold Coast a few weeks back.

How bad were they? They were awful, and it remains a mighty concern that it needed a fired-up coach to get a response. Still, there was plenty of mental toughness in the second-half comeback.

Indeed, it's that show of resilience that will keep Cheika in the post – if you were to evaluate the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship by tactics or selection alone the entire coaching panel would be looking for new roles.

4: Bernard Foley makes a mockery of the Kurtley Beale selection

By the second week of Kurtley Beale's stint at No 10 it was obvious it was not working, yet the Wallabies persisted with it.

Bernard Foley's performance in Salta should bring to an end any debate about who should wear the No 10 jersey

He kicked for touch superbly, was accurate off the tee and reintroduced his thoughtful running lines to the Wallabies attack, particularly in the second half.

It could be argued that the spell as second choice reinvigorated him but the Wallabies paid a high price for – with Beale at No 10 they dropped two tests they could have won.

The Wallabies look more economical when Foley plays, more inclined to stick to the simple things that always work well – straight running lines, draw and pass.

Foley's high kick to Dane Haylett-Petty that led to the fullback's try from a clever David Pocock offload also pointed to his increasing confidence levels – by the end of the game he had it on a string.

5. Allan Alaalatoa sends a timely reminder

If there has been a player who has responded to losing his starting spot, it has been Allan Alaalatoa. While Foley actually struggled with his bench role, the Brumbies tight-head was good in South Africa and backed that up with an energetic display when he came on at half-time in Salta.

Sekope Kepu can be put in a similar category. Suddenly the Waratahs prop is doing the things we want to see from him – carrying the ball and using his skills in midfield situations. Taniela Tupou's testing introduction to the first XV continued. He won one nice turnover in the first half but the explosive impact he brought from the bench has not been seen in the past two tests, and that it where his strength lies.

Team of the Week

1. Steven Kitshoff (South Africa)

2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa)

3. Allan Alaalatoa (Australia)

4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

5. Scott Barrett (New Zealand)

6. Pablo Matera (Argentina)

7. Ardie Savea (New Zealand)

8. David Pocock (Australia)

9. Faf de Klerk (South Africa)

10. Handre Pollard (South Africa)

11. Rieko Ioane (New Zealand)

12. Damian de Allende (South Africa)

13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa)

14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa)

15. Dane Haylett-Petty (Australia)