Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has made no bones of his admiration for All Blacks opposite Ian Foster, as both sides prepare to meet in this year's Bledisloe Cup opener in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Currently in his second stint as Wallabies coach, results haven't been kind to Jones thus far.
A first-up defeat to a rotated South African side and a last-gasp loss to Argentina a week later leave Australia 0-2 so far this year.
And with home and away clashes against the All Blacks and a final World Cup warm-up against France still to come, things won't get any easier for the Wallabies.
But if there's any inspiration needed for Jones to turn the Wallabies around, he need look no further than the opposition coaches' box come Saturday night.
In 2022, All Blacks coach Foster came perilously close to losing his job after a run of five defeats in six tests.
Now, the All Blacks are unbeaten in their last nine tests, with eight wins and a solitary draw to show for their efforts.
Despite public sentiment often being against him, Foster has been resolute in his belief he is the right man to lead the All Blacks to the World Cup.
And with his successor already appointed - with Scott Robertson confirmed as the All Blacks' next coach from 2024 onwards - Foster has nothing to lose in his coaching swansong.
For Jones, who has maintained his support for Foster both before and through the scrutiny, the All Blacks' start to 2023 comes down to the clarity of their coach.
And the situation about the future of the All Blacks coach might just have unlocked Foster to get the best out of his charges this year.
"I don't mind having a glass of red [wine] with him," said Jones.
"[He's a] good man.
"I said at the time, I really felt for him. He had a board that reacted to media pressure in the appointment of a coaching job.
"He could go on and produce one of the greatest All Black teams and then his fate's already sealed.
"I think that's why we've seen a different approach from New Zealand this year.
"Normally, in a World Cup year, they're very measured in their build-up. They want to peak at the World Cup.
"But I think, because of the situation, they've taken a different approach. I've never seen a New Zealand team come out in a Rugby Championship, ready to go straight away - flying."
"Flying" is correct. The All Blacks have opened their season with arguably their best start in a long time.
Despite being tipped to struggle away to a physical Argentina side, Foster's men took a comfortable 41-12 victory to begin 2023.
Then, in a grudge match against arch-rivals South Africa, the All Blacks went even better for a 35-20 win to all but secure the Rugby Championship.
On both occasions, the All Blacks came storming out of the blocks in two dominant first halves and consolidated in the second to close out wins.
Jones puts that attacking fluidity down to the freedom of Foster - no longer burdened by the need to prove his worth as an All Blacks coach - with that transferring to the players.
"We've seen it in the first two games," Jones continued. "The first two 40 minutes they've played have been some of the best rugby we've seen for a while.
"Maybe that's got to do with the coach appointment. I know the players value him greatly as a coach.
"We all know he's a good rugby man. They're playing with a lot of passion, a lot of drive, a lot of direction.
"For us, it's the ultimate test."
Victory on Saturday would confirm the Rugby Championship title for Foster's All Blacks, as well as lock away the Bledisloe Cup for another year.
Join Newshub at 9:45pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup clash
