From the moment the Wallabies convened in camp, coach Michael Cheika had urged his team to forget the World Cup, to move swiftly onwards and if all things went to plan, upwards. They didn't.
Specifically, he was talking about Australia rolling the home side out of their own tournament and eventually, into the crafty hands of Eddie Jones, Cheika's feisty former Randwick comrade.
If the Wallabies wanted fresh challenges this winter, they knew a revitalised England was going to provide just that, although the magnitude of the mountain they now confront has now been revealed in all its brutal, blood-stained splendour. 
England have gone one-up in the three-Test series, as the Wallabies faded amid a blitz of white jumpers and the manic pea of Romain Poite's whistle, which was almost glowing red by the end of Saturday night as he lovingly crafted a 15-8 penalty count in favour of the tourists. The illusion that an unexpected spot in the World Cup final would usher in a new era of Wallaby dominance across the hemispheres can now be safely surrendered.
England have regrouped, gone to a new level and on this night, the Wallabies were unable to go with them. Jones must take a another bow.
You wouldn't have known it from the early exchanges at Suncorp Stadium. The Wallabies hit the ground not just running but hopping from phase to phase, spinning it with speed and precision on a fast, dry deck in Brisbane. This was how they planned to unravel England's set-piece mastery. Two tries had been earned within the blink of an eye and another disallowed, after Bernard Foley had sliced through the rushing defence, only for it to be voided on account of an obstruction. Israel Folau looked like he might score any time he found a yard or two of open space.
Soon began the slow descent into madness. First came the niggle as England issued the physical challenge, then the injuries as Rob Horne (concussion) and Rob Simmons (back) left the field in the first half. Next was the hail of penalties as England steadied, then surged, with Owen Farrell's boot guiding them to the lead.
How a team plays under duress is often the measure of their fortitude. For the Wallabies of Cheika, it has been a strength. On Saturday night, the Wallabies showed they were far from the finished product.
Errors led to penalties, which created pressure and then for England, points. Even Foley, one of Australia's safest pair of hands, would feel the heat as an errant pass was dropped by Folau, then fumbled by Samu Kerevi, leading to an English try.
Captain Stephen Moore seemingly spent more time in the first half questioning the decisions than putting his head in the ruck, although a decent head split was proof he was amongst the action. The back-line functioned beautifully at times but left points on the park, particularly late in the game when Tevita Kuridrani inexplicably failed to offload to Folau for a simple put-down.
Being on the wrong end of the 39-28 scoreline has heaped pressure on the Wallabies to bounce back in Melbourne. But with Poite negating David Pocock and Scott Fardy at the breakdown, the Wallabies were deprived of one of their most-potent weapons.
Eddie Jones has still never lost a Test at Suncorp Stadium. This time it was a famous one for the old enemy.