Dogged belief in a defensive overhaul has helped the Wallabies return to their 2015 Rugby World Cup final form.
So believes assistant coach Stephen Larkham, who credits the Wallabies' character and willingness to persevere with a radical change in style for the side's unbeaten seven-Test run.
Larkham and head coach Michael Cheika were questioned after choosing the opening Bledisloe Cup match of the year for trialling a similar defensive approach to the All Blacks.
The result was a diabolical 54-34 loss in which Cheika's men shipped eight tries and at one point trailed by 50 points early in the first half in Sydney.
But the Wallabies have conceded just 21 tries in eight Tests since at an average of two and a half a game, including only two in last month's drought-breaking 23-18 victory over the All Blacks in Brisbane.
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Larkham said the turnaround had been a big factor in the Wallabies riding a four-Test winning streak for the first time since their charge to the World Cup final two years ago.
The side's resolve was again tested in last Saturday's 29-21 win over Wales in Cardiff when skipper Michael Hooper was sent to the sin bin with his side clinging to a late lead.
"Down to 14 men and (it was) very similar to the 2015 World Cup against Wales when we were down to 13 men," Larkham said ahead of Saturday's showdown with England at Twickenham.
"The guys trusted the system and trusted each other and held Wales out there for that period.
"If you go back further than the last seven games, we probably struggled against New Zealand when we didn't have that belief in the system that we were trying to implement this year.
"It's a new system and we finally got our head around that and the guys are believing in that a lot more now."
