Michael Cheika's Clowngate rant may have served to take heat off what history will remember as one of Australia's worst-ever Bledisloe Cup campaigns.
Saturday's 37-10 defeat at Eden Park not only ensured the all conquering All Blacks held the trans-Tasman trophy for the 14th straight year, it also extended their statistical dominance over the Wallabies to a new level.
The 108-27 cumulative points margin in favour of the All Blacks was the heaviest in a Bledisloe Cup series.
And there were other stats that also make uncomfortable reading for Australian fans.
* The 16 tries conceded by Australia represents the equal-worst defensive effort in a three-Test Bledisloe series - tying the 1972 team who were nicknamed the Woeful Wallabies by Kiwis.
* The Wallabies' tally of 27 points scored also equals the worst return in a three-match series, also held by the 1972 team, although that side had to play all three of their Tests in New Zealand.
Remarkably, the Wallabies' two tries scored is not their worst tally for a three-Test series, having managed just one in 2012 - but that Robbie Deans-coached team conceded only three All Blacks tries.
It's also the first time Australia has ever copped two 3-0 series defeats in the same year, having suffered the same fate at home in June against England.
Cheika may have provided the ideal smokescreen with his outburst over a newspaper cartoon in his post-match press conference, ensuring he was the focus of attention this week, not his players or the stats sheets.
But the irony is Australia's performance in Auckland was just about their best of the international season, despite conceding six tries to one.
The Wallabies had 65 per cent of possession, spent 68 per cent of the match in New Zealand's half, ran more metres (586-566), had more carries (155-101) and beat more defenders (24-20).
"That was probably the most disappointing facet of the game - that we had a lot of chances, a lot of opportunities, a lot of possession and territory at their end of the field and we lacked that execution," playmaker Bernard Foley said.
"We were just unable to get that last pass to stick or score that try and that's crucial.
"Whenever you get the opportunity against a side like the All Blacks, you have to take it."
Cheika and his team have less than two weeks to lick their wounds ahead of their grand slam tour to Europe which begins on November 5 against Wales in Cardiff.
