Harry Wilson may have finally silenced the doubters in Australian rugby. It just took a blemish-free 28 tackles, a try, and an all-round performance that was worthy of man-of-the-match honours despite the Wallabies being hammered 50-19 in Bledisloe I.
While that award instead went to All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett, Wilson's heroics in a badly-beaten team have come in for special mention this week, with All Blacks greats Justin Marshall and Kieran Read among those to heap praise on the Wallabies skipper.
But Wilson has for some time now been the topic of fierce debate in Australia, specifically that the Gunnedah-raised No. 8 does not fit the Wallabies' best back-row combination.
It's a discussion that dates back to Dave Rennie's time as Wallabies coach and when, after picking him in his first Test team at No. 8, Rennie largely ignored Wilson and instead preferred Rob Valetini, who went on to establish himself as a world class No. 8 and a two-time John Eales Medalist.
Wilson was then overlooked by Eddie Jones, before he returned to the Test arena under Joe Schmidt, and was later named Wallabies captain following a succession of injuries at the start of the 2024 Rugby Championship.
Even this year, despite Wilson being retained as skipper from Schmidt to new Wallabies coach Les Kiss, Tom Hooper's return to the Test arena further muddied questions around Australia's first-choice back-row.
But the debate around Wilson's position feels irrelevant now, with Wallabies great Toutai Kefu declaring the Queenslander was playing the best rugby of his career.
"I totally agree with what everyone is saying, that is one of the best games I've seen him play," Kefu told ESPN. "The footy he's been playing the last couple of months has been outstanding I reckon; I don't think he's played any better.
"Ball carry, his involvements; his leadership's grown as well, I think. It's just unfortunate it was in a losing side [last weekend]. But he is playing some good footy.
"He's got a little bit of finesse in him with those little offloads. He can also kick the ball which is bloody unbelievable; he's like a George Smith who can ball play, but he can also kick the ball."
All Blacks great Read, a World Cup winner in 2015, lauded Wilson's all-round contribution in declaring Wilson among the best No. 8s in the world, if not the pick of the bunch full stop.
"Those hits that he put on a few guys by the near touchline were just brutal," Read said on The Good, the Bad and The Rugby AU/NZ podcast. "Concrete shoulders. He's a guy who just keeps working, working, working really hard. Puts up his hand, makes tackles, runs the ball... and he'll need a bit more next week [in Bledisloe II].
"Around the work ethic part, he's second to none. And I think you've got to add the all-round skills; he's got a left foot, he's got skills for a big man, offload, scores tries. It's a good debate to have, I think most definitely he's in that conversation [as world's best]."
One of the early criticisms of Wilson's game was a supposed lacklustre work rate, that he didn't get back to his feet after a tackle or breakdown involvement quickly enough.
But a perfect 28 from 28 tackles, plus a further seven runs in Bledisloe I, have certainly quietened any further talk on that front. And then there was the belief that Wilson was a penalty magnet.
Ahead of the Wallabies' Test at Allianz Stadium Twickenham last year, a dossier prepared by England's coaching team, which was then shared with the officials, showed Wilson repeatedly entering the breakdown illegally. It was eventually leaked to the media.
While Wilson was handed a yellow card for a high tackle against the Springboks in Perth, he otherwise went penalty free a fortnight ago, before he came through last week's Test in Auckland without earning the ire of referee Andrew Brace.
Still, the England dossier may well have prolonged the discussion around Wilson's place in the Wallabies back-row, despite a starring effort in the drought-breaking win in Johannesburg only months earlier.
But Kefu said Valetini was also playing outstanding rugby at No. 6, and the duo had now worked out how to fulfill their respective roles as part of the same back-row trio.
"I think he's a pure No. 8, he reminds so much of former Wallabies No. 8 David Lyons," Kefu added of Wilson. "Always carries over the gainline, it always takes at least two or three defenders to drag him down; I think he's always been a No. 8, that's the way he plays.
"I think with Bobby, he can switch between No. 8 and No. 6. But the thing was, I thought Bobby was outstanding as well the other night [in Auckland].
"I think with the make-up of the profile of the back-row, you can change it up with who you're playing.
"And I'm a big fan of Carlo Tizzano, I think what he brings is maybe something that is missing at No. 7. He's just so physical, so abrasive at the breakdown. Between him and McReight changing and having impact - I love McReight, he's a bloody good footballer - but I think those four, there's a really good combination in there.
"I think Les [Kiss] just has to find the right combination and the right timing of that combination... because I think you can start Tizzano sometimes and then bring McReight on there and vice versa."
Kefu also professed his love for Hooper and the versatility the Exeter-based lock afforded the bench given his ability to place across the back-row and cover lock.
Barring injury, each of Wilson, McReight, Valetini, Tizzano and Hooper will be named in Australia's World Cup squad next year, with Wilson now at almost unbackable odds to be named the Wallabies skipper for next year's showpiece rugby event, too.
"I think he's really grown in that area [leadership], and I think you can tell how much he loves the team, and the boys will follow him," Kefu, who wore the No. 8 jersey the last time the Wallabies lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy, told ESPN.
"I think one of the really good things that I've seen, especially in the last couple of games, is the footy comes first; instead of telling people to follow him, he leads by example with the way he plays.
"His carries, his defence, his involvements, that's a leader everyone follows. Instead of talking, he leads by example."