Wallabies centre Isaac Henry has given coach Les Kiss something to ponder ahead of the two-Test series with Argentina, after the Queenslander excelled in Australia's 56-17 win over Japan in Townsville.
With star code-hopper Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii put on ice earlier this week because of a minor hamstring strain, Henry shone at outside centre alongside his Queensland Reds teammate Hunter Paisami.
Henry, whose Super Rugby career has been curtailed by a series of serious injuries, carried with authority in Townsville, particularly in the first half, making two clean breaks and adding several offloads in a performance that must have made an impact on Kiss.
The midfielder straightened up the Wallabies' attack and showed his power through contact, eventually finishing the Test with 11 carries and six beaten defenders. He would have also had a try assist, had Ryan Lonergan's first-half five-pointer not been scrubbed off for a forward pass from Paisami.
"It was awesome, I think all the boys worked extremely hard and I just tried to do my job the best I could, but yeah I'm just super grateful to get the win and proud of all the boys," Henry told Stan Sport after fulltime.
While Henry impressed with his direct carries, the Wallabies were under the pump for sustained periods of the first half as Japan played some sparkling rugby. The tourists speed of recycle and sweeping passing exposed Australia on the edges, and they would have deserved a halftime lead had it not been for Taniela Tupou's second try just before the interval.
"I think just making the most of our opportunities," Henry said when asked what Kiss had said at halftime. "We obviously weren't happy with some of the possessions we had in the first half, but I think we mixed it up in the second half and held onto the ball for longer periods."
Certainly there was enough for Kiss to be stressed about at halftime, after Japan used Harry Hockings charge-down try to click their game into gear and have Australia backtracking defensively.
"I think it's our first half, managing the field position, managing decisions," Kiss told Stan Sport when asked where his side needed to improve before a two-Test tour of Argentina.
"I thought the backs, they carried at the wrong time, they should have put the ball back in behind the forwards, and the forwards weren't getting back behind the ball [in the first half]. So we need that spark and energy on and off the ball, and good strong decisions, so we can put the game where we want it.
"We did that in the second half down the right-hand side, Max [Jorgensen] got some good high ball, and we created that pressure and they found it hard to get out [of their own end]."
Jorgensen became an ever-increasing threat as the game went on, the winger making one amazing high-ball catch-and-run that had echoes of his scintillating solo try in the first Test against the British and Irish Lions last year.
But Australia were far better in the second half as a collective, too. Their replacements, particularly Jeremy Williams, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Massimo de Lutiis, were excellent around the paddock, while starting openside Carlo Tizzano was near immovable over the ball at the ruck.
Repeated penalties, three of which came directly from Tizzano's breakdown heroics, allowed Australia to drive deep into Japanese territory, before their forwards hammered away at the visitors' line with front-rowers Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell and De Lutiis adding to Tupou's first-half double and the game's opening try, which was scored by hooker Josh Nasser.
The Wallabies also dominated the set piece, picking off four Japanese lineouts, while back-rower Charlie Cale scored one of only two Australian five-pointers not scored by a front-rower, via a pushover scrum. The other came from skipper Harry Wilson, who was industrious as ever.
But after wins over Italy and now a second straight triumph over Japan, there are far greater challenges coming on the horizon, starting away to Argentina in two weeks' time.
The pressure to trial Suaalii on the wing will only likely intensify on Kiss beforehand, particularly given how effective Jorgensen has been under the high ball himself.
With a better vertical leap and greater athleticism than his fellow young flyer, Suaalii could add another dimension to the Wallabies' attack away in South America. The Pumas will likely bring a kick-heavy approach, too.
Whether a Suaalii switch comes to fruition remains to be seen, though separate sources have confirmed to ESPN that it is a live conversation within the Wallabies coaching team.
And that must surely take on greater debate following Henry's performance, particularly if Kiss continues to see returning centre and reigning John Eales Medallist, Len Ikitau, as the team's inside centre.
It's undoubtedly a pleasant headache for Kiss to confront, albeit one that can wait 24 hours as he reflects on his first foray into international rugby as a head coach with pride.
"It's just really important, the two weeks, that I got to see as much as I could, and the new coaches; it's a new coaching team, so we wanted to see a couple of combinations," Kiss said.
"We got Fraser on probably a fraction later than we would have liked, we would have liked to have seen that [Tizzano-McReight duo] for a bit longer. But we had good presence on the ground, so we know we're a good jackal threat across the park, we can get on the ball and create some opportunities there as well.
"To have Lachlan Shaw call that lineout, him and Lukhan worked there together all last week, that was trying to give him that nice experience around that. We made some shifts in our pack for sure [on Saturday], but I think it paid trumps for us in the end."