There wasn't much for the Western Force to lose when they ran onto the pitch at Optus Stadium for the British & Irish Lions Tour opener, but for Dylan Pietsch and his fellow Wallabies squad members, it was one final chance to grab Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt's attention -- and the winger made sure to do just that.
There was little expectation the Force would truly give the Lions a challenge given the side's ninth place finish in Super Rugby Pacific and the calibre of opposition they were set to face, but for 50 minutes it was an electric contest with Pietsch in the thick of it.
One of six Wallabies squad members released for the clash, Pietsch made an impact almost immediately and was then outstanding for the remainder of the first half.
Claiming the restart following a second minute try to Lions captain Dan Sheehan, Pietsch ducked through several defenders and flicked the offload inside to Sam Carter. The movement and his involvement over the next few phases would eventually lead to the Force's only try to Nic White in the fifth minute.
Pietsch was clearly hungry for any chance to touch the ball after playing just one match in 12 weeks following an eight-week stint on the sideline with a torn quad. He was constantly hunting for work, often bouncing inside to make himself an option before bumping off defenders and eventually winning the battle against his opposite number and Ireland winger Mack Hansen.
He looked most threatening under the high ball, particularly at kick-offs. First making the most of the restart following White's try, to dance around the defenders and put his team in a strong attacking position in the opening minutes, before Pietsch became the halfback's target for contestable kicks as he flew for aerial contests and regularly broke free of the first up tackle to put his side on the front foot.
"He's [Pietsch] awesome to kick to, whether it's kick-offs or putting some up, and he just wants the ball," White told Stan Sport. "He's a big physical man, and big games bring out bring characters, and he loves it, and it's just good to have him on our side. And he really was a big part of that first 50 when we put them under a lot of pressure."
The time off certainly didn't impact his game, and Schmidt won't have missed the impact the 27-year-old had on the match, especially given the restart woes the Wallabies suffered through last year. Meanwhile his upper body strength made him one of the hardest players to stop, Pietsch finishing the match with 11 defenders beaten and 22 post-contact metres.
"It was good to play again, I love playing rugby," Peitsch said post-match. "And the crowd here was awesome, I don't know if I took them to school, but I had fun running the ball, so that was good.
"I've kind of based my game around my physicality and that's something I take a lot of pride in. So I hope that every game that I play, whether that's for the Wallabies or for whatever game you've seen me play, that's a part of my game. So just trying to ingrain that into who I am as a rugby player and hopefully see it every game.
"It was a good game, it was an awesome atmosphere... it was so cool to be a part of and see the different variety that they have, you can tell from the different countries what they bring; on the edge, all their different variety and trying to unpack that, that was pretty cool."
Pietsch was unlucky not to get a score to his name so good was his attacking play, finishing the game with 12 carries and 86 run metres.
Meanwhile, several of his fellow Wallabies squad members did their selection chances no harm either, with Tom Robertson playing out a solid performance in an unfamiliar loose-head prop position, while Ben Donaldson had a number of classy touches at fullback.
Forced to play on the opposite side of the scrum and against a big Lions front-row, Robertson more than held his own, on some occasions bettering his opposition. He was unlucky not to see pay for his work in the scrum battle in the first half. He was also solid in support play, with several impressive carries in the midfield to get his side on the front foot.
Donaldson's late call-up didn't seem to affect his game either, with the playmaker switching easily from fullback into first receiver through the clash. His kicking game remained strong, while his attacking work was only let down by poor carries or support from his teammates around him.
Given his impressive form tonight though, Pietsch will have given Schmidt plenty to think about as the opening Lions Test draws closer.