Just when it appeared Les Kiss may have found his midfield, the Wallabies coach may well have to try a fourth combination in five Tests after Hunter Paisami was cited for his dangerous tackle in Australia's incredible 42-38 win over the Springboks.
With the Wallabies already counting the cost of Len Ikitau's ankle injury, which may yet sideline him from back-to-back Bledisloe Cup Tests, Paisami was on Monday cited for his tackle on Springboks replacement Sasha Feingberg-Mngomezulu.
The hit, which was spotted by the Television Match Official and then relayed down to Italian referee Andrea Piardi via mobile phone in farcical scenes at Optus Stadium, came while the Wallabies were already down to 12 men following yellow cards to Australia skipper Harry Wilson and teammates Ryan Lonergan and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
With Australia's defensive already badly stretched, Paisami jammed in on Feingberg-Mngomezulu to try and shut the play down, before Springboks skipper Andre Esterhuizen's cut-out pass was picked off by Wallabies fullback Tom Wright, who scooted away to score what looked like being the match-sealing try.
That was until Piardi eventually got the TMO's message, and Paisami was soon seated on the sidelines alongside his three Wallabies teammates.
Paisami's hearing will take place on Tuesday evening, with the Wallabies later this week poised to name a new squad for the Bledisloe series with Tests in Auckland and Sydney.
If Paisami is scratched - he has a three-game suspension from the 2025 Super Rugby season on his record - Kiss could be left with only Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and two-Test rookie Isaac Henry as midfield options.
The potential double blow has taken the gloss off Australia's remarkable four-point win, which proved a ratings success for local broadcaster Channel 9, the Test recording 2,041,000 total reach, which was 300,000 more than the 2025 Bledisloe Cup Test which was played on a Saturday night at the same venue.
While those numbers will thrill Rugby Australia they will be of little consequence to Kiss, who has built a 4-0-1 record through his first four Tests.
And among the most pleasing aspects of his side's dramatic victory was the combination of Paisami and Ikitau, and the performance of Suaalii in his first start on the wing.
Suaalii appeared to play with greater freedom in the extra space and was a constant aerial threat throughout his 70 minutes alongside fellow winger Max Jorgensen, whom Kiss had special praise for alongside fullback Wright.
"Jo did his bit, didn't he? Kiss said of Suaalii. "And then we moved him into 13, which is a great thing we're trying to work on, being able to adapt our positions in certain ways and get a bit of depth in our combinations. But it was a back three, it wasn't just Sue.
"I thought Wrighty, I think that's his best game he's had for four or five games now and was imperious at times, and then Jorgo is Jorgo. That boy just knows one way to set his mindset.
"Nothing seems to faze the boy, and the qualities he comes through, and then to finish that try-off I think was pretty special tonight."
After a frantic opening quarter when they tried to play to width too early, the Wallabies backline began to hum as Paisami and Ikitau straightened the attack, the duo combining for one beautiful clean break when the reigning John Eales Medalist galloped into the backfield in the first half.
Ikitau went on to score a first-half double in the space of two minutes, but later limped off the field following a carry midway through the second half.
And so the likelihood the duo could start against the All Blacks could be snuffed out within days, and leave Kiss staring down a centre combination of Henry and Suaalii, while Josh Flook, who was not selected as part of the broader Wallabies squad, also injured in Super Rugby Aus earlier this month.
Kiss could consider Jordan Petaia in the 13 jersey, allowing him to keep Suaalii on the wing, but the one-time NFL hopeful only joined up with the squad last week and hasn't played any rugby since the conclusion of the French Top 14 season.
Western Force utility Hamish Stewart spent time with the Wallabies under Joe Schmidt in 2025 while Kiss could even consider a Hail Mary to veteran Samu Kerevi, though his involvement would depend on the good graces of his Japanese club Urayasu D-Rocks, with both Bledisloe Tests falling outside World Rugby's release window.