Wallabies players were hobbling around their Brisbane hotel foyer yesterday comparing Captain Hook eye-patches, black eyes of world-title-fight calibre, scratches, scrapes and bruises.

That's always part of Australia-France battles, but all made a little sweeter by the Wallabies enjoying a record Test triumph at Suncorp Stadium the previous night.

While delighted that the players stood up to the aggression, which is bound to continue when the Wallabies begin their Tri Nations campaign on July 19 against South Africa in Perth, the team management was relieved that they also showed restraint and avoided the attention of the citing commissioner.

Two French players - Imanol Harinordoquy and Renaud Boyoud - yesterday were suspended for three weeks for their involvement in a first-half brawl, but their Australian counterparts could claim afterwards that they not only know how to hold their ground, but also their tempers.

That will become crucial after the Tri Nations opener between New Zealand and South Africa in Wellington on Saturday indicated that this year's series will have a brutal edge.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans sneaked a peek at the Wellington Test, and admitted that it shook him. What overwhelmed him was the "physicality".

"It was pretty brutal. The willingness around the collisions was evident. The intensity was the thing that really stood out, and that wasn't just around the ball either," Deans said. "It is clearly evident that this [the Tri Nations] will be a totally different arena. But we've made great growth, and it's not something we can't deal with."

Referring to a willing first-half brawl in which the aggressive Wallabies second-rower James Horwill was belted from front and behind after being the third man in, Deans said: "We've had an experience of that. It could have been easy for their focus to deteriorate, but they were great."

And Deans needs no reminding that their next opponents - South Africa - know how to handle themselves, both on and off the ball.

Horwill for one is not daunted by this. Instead he can't wait for the Springboks tussle to start. Showing off an impressive shiner, Horwill yesterday said: "Hopefully we can now get stuck into the Boks in two weeks' time."

Confronting Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha doesn't intimidate him either. "That will be fantastic. They are obviously the premier locking combination in the world. It will be massive," Horwill said. "The Springboks will be physical. You just have to look at all their Super 14 sides. They all get stuck in and really like to bash around the field. They'll be no different as a Test side. We're certainly not going to take a backward step, and we'll be making sure we get stuck into them right from the start. We'll take it to them."

And finishing second-best on Saturday night won't deter him either. "Nah … that's footy, mate," he said. "That happens. It's not the first black eye I've got, and it won't be the last in my career."

It didn't all revolve around fists. The Wallabies showed enough glimpses of flair against France to indicate they will be more than nuisance value during the Tri Nations.

While five-eighth Matt Giteau was exceptional, halfback Luke Burgess, after two unsteady opening Tests, settled well, showing off what made him such a devastating force for the Waratahs this season. Peter Hynes continues to excel, Stirling Mortlock remains a midfield kamikaze, Adam Ashley-Cooper is assured of a lengthy stint at fullback, and Ryan Cross showed off the bench that he knows how to properly utilise a defensive gap.

But it still all revolves around Giteau, who apart from his midfield poise is on song as a goalkicker, so far this season kicking 17 from 19.

Naturally Deans liked what he saw of him in Brisbane. "He looked so settled," he said. "He's in the saddle and riding well. But he also has people around him who are providing him with options and making it easier for him. He mixed it up really well. He was prepared to carry himself, as well as using people around him. He was also eager to use the whole ground, as evidenced by that first kick [that led to Hynes's try]. He's just growing week to week, and long may it last."