Stuart Barnes on the vulnerability of New Zealand, the high-flying Scottish sides of the PRO14, and Danny Cipriani...
1 New Zealand haven't looked as vulnerable as they currently do for many a year. They would have lost to the Wallabies had Bernard Foley not missed 10 easy points with the boot, while Argentina led them at half-time in New Plymouth.
Admittedly there was never a sense of a famous first Pumas win against the All Blacks but this was another far from convincing performance from the world's best team. Are they on the wane? If they are, Steve Hansen seems pretty relaxed.
What we are witnessing is not the demise of the All Blacks but the beginning of a new preparation phase. It is all about 2019 now and Hansen is preparing accordingly. Hence half the team rested Saturday; hence Ben Smith being told to renew acquaintances with his family and take six months sabbatical.
He's mixing and matching; picking teams good enough to win but vulnerable as the team play with a greater degree of risks than we are used to seeing.
Damian McKenzie does some dazzling things in attack but Argentina made easy metres simply by booting the ball in the air. The Chiefs' little genie couldn't catch a thing in the air. But Hansen wants a look anyway.
As for Beauden Barrett, yet again his goal kicking kept the opposition in the game. He makes tries, scores at an incredible rate for a fly-half and defends superbly. But he is no kicker and is still a way behind Dan Carter as a controller.
I cannot see New Zealand going into the next World Cup without a top-rate goal kicker and a commanding full-back. One box kick in the last three games? The Kiwis are tinkering with what is and what is not possible.
Maybe they are vulnerable at this moment in time but they'll be all the stronger in Japan for the timing of these experimentations.
2 Argentina are struggling for results but this was a better effort from the Pumas. I hear and read that they must revoke the ruling that rules out European based players from the Test team. Of course they miss men like Facundo Isa, Juan Imhoff and Juan Figallo, but rugby is a brutal game and to be playing effectively all year round for club and country is going to end in undoubted burnout.
In the short term, recalling their European contingent looks like a good idea. In the long term it will not work. Daniel Hourcade won't be panicking quite yet, he too like Hansen is eyeing up the next World Cup. Although a few wins would be timely.
3 Like Argentina, Australia have not won a game in the Rugby Championship, but at least they brought their losing run to an end in Perth with a draw against the Springboks.
It will feel a little like a loss with home advantage in their favour but again there are indications of steady improvement. The Autumn series may not be quite the walkover some England supporters expect, especially if Kurtley Beale maintains his mighty form.
As for South Africa, definite improvement. Two wins and a draw and an intelligent second-half performance against Australia.
I liked the way they worked out their tactics and adopted a narrower pick-and-drive game to suck in the strung-out Australian defence. Eben Etzebeth appears to be growing into the role of captain too.
4 So much for the international game. There was plenty of interest in the club scene over the weekend. I was in Glasgow for the Warriors' first home game under David Rennie.
The home team managed a bonus-point victory but he was none too impressed with either the pace or the accuracy of his charges. The combination of good players, high standards and an excellent atmosphere should see Glasgow playing a prominent part in this season's PRO14.
5 Four out of four for the two Scotland sides to date. Richard Cockerill will be delighted with the two wins. He will also be impressed with the running lines being cut from full-back by Blair Kinghorn. Scotland might just have themselves a second dashing full-back.
6 It's good to see Edinburgh doing well. In the new conference system, I fear the three-from-seven qualification for the knock-outs could leave the big guns in the clear to the detriment of the regular season, especially while the two South African sides are adjusting to their new challenge.
The Italian teams are unlikely contenders for either top three and the same applies to the Dragons. This means the clubs straddling the top and bottom need to be in the mix.
Edinburgh have started well. The same cannot be said for the Blues who defended with some zip in Dublin but lacked any real spark in attack. Connacht, champions in 2016, are the other 'straddlers' holding the key to the conferences and success of the new format. Fingers crossed for the men from the west.
7 The Premiership highlight was Bath's win at home to Saracens. Semesa Rokoduguni's two late tries grabbed the headlines - the first was a fantastic solo score - but the tenacity of Bath's defence in the second half when Saracens came hard at them was the most eye-catching element of their performance.
With Francois Louw leading the way, this was a Bath team ready to go out on a limb for the win. Given the number of injuries suffered, it cannot be described as anything but a special Bath effort.
8 Schalk Brits was livid. Not with the result but the deliberate Kahn Fotuali'i pass into his ducking body as he tried to keep himself out of the ball's flight path just before half-time. It was seriously cynical on the part of the Samoan scrum-half but even though the hooker took evasive action, he was technically in an offside position.
Wayne Barnes tried to placate him. Said he understood his frustrations but, well, the law's the law. True, but the law can be an ass too. I wonder, given time to ponder, whether Barnes would have penalised the Saracen for offside then reversed the penalty for ungentlemanly behaviour? Just a thought.
9 Wasps were a little way off their best with a fly-half who really didn't fancy tackling and a lineout that malfunctioned. What do you do with a talent like Danny Cipriani? Not much more than a defensive speed bump but capable of the most delicious cross kick for the Josh Bassett try.
It's not much fun having Ben Te'o running at you. The defence was as poor as the kick was class. The enigma is an endangered species in the game, thankfully it is not extinct.
10 Wasps' lineout was wonderful compared to that of Sale. It probably cost them a home win against Newcastle on Friday night.
There will not be a worse eighty minutes of professional lineout work all season. It was so bad that I can't bring myself to name the main culprits. When your Director of Rugby was himself once a hooker it makes for both embarrassment and anger.
'Diamond and Rust' as Joan Baez nearly titled a song she wrote about her time with Bob Dylan. Steve might not be quite as melodious as Joan.