On a night when Nathan Cleary slotted 12 conversions from all points of the compass, it's both ironic and a tad cruel that the handful of shots he missed would cost him a place in history.
The Panthers supremo enjoyed a golden debut in green and gold as Australia routed Scotland 84-0, racking up 28 individual points from a try and 12 goals.
The record for most points on Test debut by an Aussie belongs to another champion No.7, Andrew Johns, who piled on 30 against South Africa at Gateshead during the 1995 World Cup courtesy of two tries and 11 goals.
Australia went on to take out the crown in '95 and Cleary will be hoping for a similar outcome as he looks to build on a classy Test debut when things heat up in the knockout stages.
"Playing for the green and gold is the greatest honour you can have and it still feels a bit surreal that I have actually done it - there's such great history and pride in the jersey," Cleary said post-match.
Cleary magnificent on debut
"I've had a great time getting to know all these boys but you don’t really feel part of the team until you actually play alongside these blokes and try to earn their respect and it's a great feeling to get out there.
"I just wanted to try and enjoy the moment – it's not every day you get to play for Australia."
After sitting out the Kangaroos' round one win over Fiji, the 24-year-old laid to rest a bout of pre-game nerves by dishing off three try assists and crossing for one himself inside the first 20 minutes in Coventry.
His five-star performance should ensure he steers the ship for the remainder of the World Cup but Cleary is adamant he had not viewed his debut as an audition for the No.7 job.
"I'm just grateful to be here and to be able to play alongside these guys, to try and enjoy the moment, it's not every day you get to play for Australia," he said.
"I think it's a bit of a media beat-up [the halfback battle]. Me and Cherry [Daly Cherry-Evans] get along well and I'm enjoying it over here.
"It was a cool experience and I’m so glad Mum and Dad could be over here for my debut. They said a few words at the jersey presentation so it was a bit emotional.
"I woke up this morning and had a few butterflies in the stomach but once I got to the game and warmed up and looked at the players around me it gave me confidence."
The next assignment for the defending champions comes in the shape of Italy in a week's time, where coach Mal Meninga will again look to fine tune his combinations ahead of the quarter-finals.
Fantastic four for the Foxx
Along with Cleary, fellow debutant Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Matt Burton, Lindsay Collins and Campbell Graham all performed strongly, with the Rabbitohs centre collecting a hat-trick of tries.
With the scoreboard showing 68-0 inside the final 10 minutes the Kangaroos could have been forgiven for cruising to the finish line but instead they piled on three late tries through Graham, Yeo and Josh Addo-Carr.
"It’s about us, it's not really about who we are playing, or where we are playing, it's our values and playing well and playing hard for each other," Cleary said.
"That's what I want to do when I go out there is put my best foot forward and try and make the team better."
Cleary chats after dominant debut
