Wallabies captain Michael Hooper believes a win over the All Blacks in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane will show that they have improved in 2017.
Hooper said victory for his side would prove that they've made major strides since a disastrous Sydney opener and August’s Dunedin heartbreaker.
Public vindication of their progress would do wonders for the code in Australia, but a Bledisloe Test victory would be just as critical internally, for a side still finding its feet.
"I think we have got a greater belief in our game and what we can do and we have also seen a lot of players step through and step up within that time as well," Hooper told the Australian Rugby Union's official website.
"I'm a big believer in what this team can do and it come downs to Saturday."
To beat the All Blacks, the Wallabies must fire from the opening whistle.
That's a cliche but it is so crucial against the Kiwis, as they are almost impossible to run down if they kick out to a big lead.
But should the Wallabies be in a position to pounce late in the piece – as they were in Dunedin – Hooper believes his side have grown in their in game management enough to secure the win.
"Our growth in the game has been particularly strong," Hooper added.
"We're able to be under pressure and close out a couple games – not all of them, back in Perth we struggled to do that, but certainly in the finer detail parts of the game I think we've really been able to build as the game's gone on.
"Our bench has definitely lifted our performances coming on around that 50, 60 minute mark."
That has Hooper and the Wallabies believing that they can beat the best team in the world.
"It'd be great to beat the No.1 team in the world.
"That would do a lot of things for a lot of people and maybe change their perception but we're very positive of how things have been working in and around the team and the guys' commitment to the detail and to getting better.
"Tomorrow night's just going to be a reflection of that."
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