The Springboks will have to wait another year for a win in Australia but they ticked off a bugbear of Allister Coetzee-coached teams: the ability to play catch-up rugby.
When the Bok mentor was with the Stormers, the Cape Town-based Super Rugby side battled to turn around matches after trailing at the break.
The Springboks had to fight back from 20-10 down after 48 minutes and were controlling the game at the death before lack of composure failed them.
The frenetic finish pointed to that one missing mental facet the Boks need to hone as they grow as a team.There were two missed chances at the death: Elton Jantjies' drop-goal attempt was charged down and Jesse Kriel knocked on with the line in front of him.
It was those narrow margins and some desperate breakdown and defensive work that allowed Australia to survive breaks from Jan Serfontein and Jaco Kriel in the 51st and 66th minutes respectively.
Unlike in previous years, the Boks pose a serious broken-play threat that stems from offensive defence and supremely improved breakdown play.
It wasn't the kind of performance that would send shivers down the All Blacks spines but the Boks were able to exploit fringe defence gaps and punch holes at will.That's how the Wallabies were able to fracture the All Blacks defence repeatedly in the 35-29 thriller in Dunedin on August 26.
If the Springboks are more accurate in off-loading and don't isolate their support runners they might examine the All Black defence in a manner similar to 2013 when the Boks consistently challenged the All Blacks without beating them.
The Boks may have the scrum and lineout strength to challenge the All Blacks but whether they are the all-round package remains to be seen.
Elton Jantjies's game management wasn't perfect but it allowed the Boks to breathe easy when they won turnovers and dictated play well when they were on the front foot.
The Boks also avoided the need to run from their half and did well to shut down Australia's big strike runners out wide.
However, the kick-off receptions need a significant improvement for this is an area in which the All Blacks punish teams who switch off after celebrating tries.
It was those same mistakes at Ellis Park in 2013 that allowed the All Blacks to recover from every Springbok try and end up winning an epic Test match 38-27.Wallabies did their homework
The Springboks though are in a far better place this year going to New Zealand as compared to last year when they had little semblance of attacking and defensive structure.
The Wallabies did their homework and kept Jan Serfontein on a tight leash before the inside centre started to express himself in the second half.
Jesse Kriel was kept busy by man-of-the-match Kurtley Beale and Tevita Kuridrani but also posed questions they couldn't always answer when he got the ball.
The back three of Andries Coetzee, Raymond Rhule and Courtnall Skosan worked their socks off defensively even though their space was swiftly cut down when the ball went wide.
While the forwards were an exemplary collective, it was probably Jaco Kriel's best game in a Bok jersey while Siya Kolisi's engine saw him play a crucial role in the last eight minutes that could have swung the game in the Boks favour...