Coach Eddie Jones, who previously hinted at a "smash and grab campaign" by the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup earlier this year, now faces the prospect of his plans potentially unraveling right from the start.

The Wallabies have never experienced an early exit at the tournament's pool stage, but they are now confronting the possibility after their 22-15 defeat to Fiji in Saint-Étienne.

While their quarterfinal aspirations remain intact for now, Monday's outcome has placed an enormous burden on the Australians as they approach their upcoming pool match against the undefeated Wales in Lyon, scheduled for one week from today.

If Wales emerges victorious, the Wallabies would find themselves with a 1-2 win-loss record heading into their last pool match against Portugal.

In such a situation, the Wallabies would need more than just a victory against Portugal; they would also require bonus points and favorable outcomes in other matches to have any hope of progressing to the quarter-finals.

This is a situation that the Wallabies have never encountered in a World Cup before.

Although they suffered losses in the pool stage in three previous tournaments, they were never genuinely at risk of failing to advance to the knockout rounds on each occasion.

With their current predicament, the Wallabies can only attribute their situation to their own actions. Their loss to Fiji was largely influenced by their lack of discipline, as they had to bear the consequences of an extensive 18-7 penalty count against them.

Fiji capitalized on five of those opportunities with successful kicks by Simione Kuruvoli and Frank Lomani, steadily increasing the pressure on the scoreboard that proved too much for the Wallabies to surmount.

Indeed, penalty goals were the decisive factor in the final score, with the Wallabies scoring two tries compared to Fiji's one.

The lack of World Cup experience in the Wallabies' roster was evident in the lead-up to Fiji's only try, which was scored by Josua Tuisova shortly after the start of the second half.

Insufficient communication between two of their less-experienced squad members, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Carter Gordon, led to a Fijian box kick being allowed to bounce. This created an opportunity for Tuisova, who seized the loose ball and sprinted over the goal line.

This moment encapsulated the Wallabies' overall performance, and Jones conceded after the game that his team was a "lesser version" of its potential.