After a rollercoaster ride, you could forgive Jed Holloway for taking a moment to sink it all in.
Overcoming a raft of adversity throughout his career, Holloway finally got the chance to debut for the Wallabies, playing a crucial role in their 41-26 win over Argentina.
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He showed great skill to help spark the attack in the second half before all but carrying Fraser McReight over the try-line to start the comeback.
Like any narrative attached to the 29-year-old’s career, there had to be obstacles attached to it, first losing Michael Hooper (personal reasons) in the build up before Quade Cooper went down with what looks like a serious Achilles injury.
However, the Wallabies are proven fighters and refused to quit, finding their way back into the contest to secure the win.
Following the wild contest, Holloway was spotted reflecting on the halfway line by himself, with the emotion clear to see after the match as he tried to hold the tears back whilst speaking to Stan Sport.
“It’s unreal, I knew this was going to happen, I told my missus I knew it was going to come out at some stage,” Holloway remarked after taking a few seconds to try and compose himself.
“There’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice that has gone into this. Although I wasn’t perfect tonight, I enjoyed the moment and very stoked I got to run out there and share it with a good mate Matt Gibbon.”
Gibbon had his own personal setback, with his granddad passing away during the week, paying tribute to his Rugby inspiration after the win.
“It’s pretty surreal, losing granddad, he was probably the biggest reason why I was playing Rugby so it was a bit tough for me but really happy with the boys, it was quite clinical," he told the broadcaster
“Focusing on Rugby really helped me through and getting out on the field helped so really happy with how it went.
“As soon as we sung that anthem, I was holding back tears. It’s a lifelong dream and obviously watching the game from the bench for most of it, it was getting the nerves jittery. When I got on, I was so excited and the boys were cheering me on so I was bloody happy to be there."
The raft of emotions comes with the future of inspirational skipper Michael Hooper unknown, with the Wallabies refusing to put a timeframe on his return.
"It's a real proud moment for me and also the team because we really wanted to put in an effort that our fans could be proud of and also our captain Hoops (Hoops)," stand-in captain James Slipper said in a post-match interview.
"We were thinking about him all day and playing for him."
