Michael Hooper says the Wallabies will benefit from getting the monkey off their back with their 23-17 victory against the Springboks and believes the relief of winning will help the team become more free flowing and less anxious in the way they play.
However the Wallabies will be down a man for their next assignment, with prop Allan Alaalatoa set to miss Saturday's game against Argentina in Perth because of a knee injury.
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Committed Wallabies down Springboks
Australia fought back from 14-3 down midway through the first-half to claim their first victory of 2016.
Coach Michael Cheika alluded to the fact the Wallabies have been playing with a degree of anxiety, knowing a six-match losing streak was hanging over their head as well as incessant public scrutiny.
How such external pressure affected the Wallabies cannot possibly be measured, but a breakthrough win against the Springboks, their first of 2016, will provide the squad with confidence they can trust their ability and the systems in place, according to vice-captain Hooper.
"Getting that little bit of a monkey off the back is nice and guys can now really step up," Hooper told reporters a day after his man-of-the-match effort in Brisbane. "[There's] definitely some relief there. It's hard not to think about the position we'd been in up until this point, but the guys came out and did a really good job.
"We've definitely built some resilience. We decided to play a different way this year so we've had to build on what we wanted to get across in those first few games."
While the Wallabies will not get ahead of themselves in the lead-up to their clash against the Pumas in the west, the six-point triumph may have helped wipe away some self-doubt that had built up after a string of poor performances.
"It's nice you can go into a Monday morning review not feeling a loss," Hooper said. "Everyone is going to be sore, but it's all worth it this time ... not sore and feeling sorry for yourself.
![Taking a breather: Michael Hooper looks on during the Rugby Championship match between the Wallabies and Springboks at ...](/web/20160915142222im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/d/u/z/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grdtwt.png/1473581120350.jpg)
"Those passes that probably didn't go to hand on some of the line breaks would have, had we been in a different situation this year. It's amazing how being in the right place when things are going great, things start to happen."
Alaalatoa will get scans on his knee in Sydney. The 22-year-old Brumbies prop sported a brace on his left knee on Sunday and while the severity of his injury is unclear, there is a chance he could also miss the Wallabies' next game abroad, against the Springboks in Pretoria on October 1.
![Stoush: Eben Etzebeth wrestles with Allan Alaalatoa during the Rugby Championship match between the Wallabies and ...](/web/20160915142222im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/d/u/y/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grdtwt.png/1473581120350.jpg)
Waratahs young gun Tom Robertson and Melbourne Rebels prop Toby Smith will travel to Perth as cover.
"He's got a slight medial strain so he's not travelling to Perth," said Wallabies assistant coach Nathan Grey. "He's performed really well. It's unfortunate but it's good to have those guys ready to roll."
While the likes of Drew Mitchell and Quade Cooper downed beers in the sheds on Saturday with Springboks speedster Bryan Habana, attention has turned quickly to the Pumas fixture.
The Argentines gave the All Blacks a scare on the weekend, leading 13-7 and trailing by five at the main break before going down 57-22 in Hamilton.
They scored more points in one half against the All Blacks than the Wallabies did in both their Bledisloe Cup matches, leaving the hosts wary of what their South American opponents will bring to the table.
"They came out of the blocks hard and we've started slow in all our games this year so that's certainly something we need to rectify come next week," Hooper said. "They're good around the field, their offload play is brilliant and are just a different outfit. We don't play them too much … so it's a different style and something we're getting more used to but not fully across."
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