The British & Irish Lions Tour might be the big-ticket item on the Wallabies' -- and the world rugby -- calendar in 2027, but a clash with Fiji in Newcastle beforehand and back-to-back Tests against Argentina will be far more important when gazing further ahead to Rugby World Cup 2027.
While the Lions series is fast approaching, World Rugby on Thursday also unveiled the seven host cities for the 2027 World Cup Down Under, confirming that Sydney would play host to the tournament final as it did when Australia last staged the tournament in 2003.
Memories of Jonny Wilkinson slotting a match-winning drop goal deep into extra time still linger painfully for Australian rugby fans old enough to remember it, while Rugby Australia [RA] chief executive Phil Waugh recalled his near-miss on the charge down in that very moment when he spoke at the dais in Sydney on Thursday.
But while the Wallabies had enjoyed a golden period in the run to the 2003 World Cup, including a five-year Bledisloe reign which had only been ended a few months earlier, a Tri Nations win, and the 2001 Lions series triumph, all off the back of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy in 1999, the same can't be said two decades on.
Two-and-a-half years out from the opening game of the 2027 tournament, which will be played in Perth, the Wallabies currently find themselves eighth [81.52] on World Rugby's rankings. A few places ahead of them in fifth are Argentina [84.97], sixth Scotland [83.34] and seventh England [82.31], while Fiji [80.07] trail behind Australia in ninth.
What makes those same rankings so important in 2025 is by the end of the year they will be used as seedings for the 2027 World Cup, which will include a round of 16 for the first time in the tournament's history.
With the game's global showpiece swelling from 20 to 24 teams, there will now be six pools of four, with the top two in each pool and the four highest-ranked third-placed teams qualifying for the round of 16.
While some of those round of 16 games have the potential for blowout scorelines, the likes of Australia, Scotland, Argentina, and England won't want to see their rankings drop to ninth before the draw is done, potentially leaving them in a Russian Roulette situation of an earlier-than-desired knockout showdown against the two-time defending world champion Springboks, current world No. 2 Ireland or the All Blacks in the round of 16.
That could potentially spell disaster for the Wallabies at their home World Cup, just four years after they had failed to reach the tournament's knockout phase under Eddie Jones in France.
Looking at the game's broader growth, however, World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin said genuine jeopardy in the round of 16 matches would show if the sport was headed in the right direction in its bid to be truly global.
"I think so, it's making sure that there are teams that are competitive enough to make that really meaningful," Gilpin told reporters by Sydney Harbour on Thursday. "So a bit like how we are looking at the quarterfinals of the women's World Cup this year in England, it's making sure you've got really competitive quarterfinals, because that's what shows it's a global game and we've got that depth.
"We've got 12 pre-qualified teams [from 2023] for 2027, by the end of November we'll have all 24 qualified and those next 12 will then play in the second division of the Nations' Championship next year, and some crossover fixtures, and that's the chance to really prepare all 24 teams as best as we can.
"And that's why that Nations' Championship is so important for the competitiveness of the men's game and that's why we had the confidence to expand to 24 teams at this stage."
What is far more important for Australia in 2025 will be the Test match against Fiji in Newcastle ahead of the Lions series, and then the back-to-back Tests against the Pumas as part of the Rugby Championship thereafter.
So while reestablishing some continuity for the first Test with the Lions two weeks later will be the prime focus for Australia against Fiji, a second loss to the Pacific Islanders in the space of three years would also close the gap on the rankings.
Conversely, a sweep of the Tests with the Pumas, which will be played in Townsville and Sydney, would also help to ease the threat of a slip down to ninth, and potentially set the platform for a spring tour where a rankings rise to as high as fifth might even be possible.
Given they face the Springboks in two Tests in South Africa, as well as a home-and-away two-Test Bledisloe series with the All Blacks, the ideal result for the Wallabies would be a perfect three from three against Fiji and then Argentina.
And while the Lions remain the hottest ticket in town and by far and away the biggest rugby event in Australia, so too a tour that will ease the severe financial pressure the game is under Down Under, the three Tests are not part of the broader international rankings picture.
The extra importance on the rankings in 2025 only further adds to the urgency of Rugby Australia reaching a decision on Joe Schmidt's future as Wallabies coach. Having originally planned to have it squared away by the new year, the negotiations are now poised to drag on into February, with frontline Test players reportedly fast running out of patience as they make decisions around their own playing futures.
"I know that the ambition was to get to a position with Joe before the end of the calendar year last year, that's obviously taken a little bit longer," Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh told reporters on Thursday.
"But we're working through those conversations constructively and we're hopeful that we'll be able to share a position reasonably soon... ideally we'll have a position before Super Rugby [starts].
"And we're really excited about what Super Rugby's going to deliver this year, so we want to distract away from the start of Super Rugby on February 14 and we're pretty progressed with conversations with Joe."
Asked what the hold up with Schmidt's position was, Waugh added: "Timing, annual leave for some of our people, including Joe, and we obviously had a Wallabies camp from the 8th to the 10th of January, and there was a bit to work through.
"As I said, ideally it would have been the end of the calendar as we indicated, but it's just slipped into 2025. But we feel like we're getting into a good position."
Given his impact on the Wallabies in 2025, which included wins away in Argentina and a famous victory over England at Twickenham, as part of a 6-7 Test season, Schmidt is seen as a key piece of Australia's planning in the run to 2027.
Reports suggest he is more likely to move into a consultancy position rather than extend his original 18-month deal as Wallabies coach, at least giving RA some kind of bargaining chip as it looks to retain a host of off-contract players.
If the governing body was to square Schmidt away in some capacity beyond the Lions, the knock-on effects, including an easing of the pressure in what will be hugely important clashes with Fiji and Argentina, and potentially England, Scotland and Wales later in the year, could be huge.