The shadow of Eddie Jones has already almost engulfed Australian rugby, but it's clear that Dave Rennie made a lasting impression on some Wallabies players.
None more so than Allan Alaalatoa, the Brumbies prop who was part of the leadership group under Rennie and would ultimately go on to captain Australia against Italy - which ironically was the embarrassing loss that played some part in Rugby Australia's decision to replace Rennie with Jones.
While Rennie finished 2022 with an unflattering 5-9 record, it was generally thought that he had progressed the Wallabies to a point where they could push for Rugby World Cup glory, particularly if they could have avoided a repeat of the unprecedented injury toll from last year.
But Rennie was instead given his marching orders on Jan. 16, with Jones brought in just over a month since his sacking as England coach, which left Alaalatoa and the entire Wallabies contingent in disbelief, particularly since they had only days earlier wrapped up a camp on the Gold Coast under the Kiwi.
"My first reaction was that I was definitely gutted for Rens, and I think mainly because he had a lot of respect from a lot of the boys in the team," Alaalatoa told ESPN. "He was a good man off the field, but he was very direct and honest on the field as well.
"I think that was my first impression, and as the days went on you just had to understand what was important next for us moving forward and that was Eddie."
Much of Rennie's early work with the Wallabies had been around culture, particularly honouring the team's Pasifika contingent following the rift created by the Israel Folau saga.
Alaalatoa had nothing but praise for the Kiwi, who has already been linked with a move to Japanese rugby or potentially even a return to Scotland.
"I sent him a message, I really just wanted to thank him for all his efforts that he put in for the Wallabies, but also for myself," Alaalatoa said.
"I grew a lot as a man off the field and as a leader, and as a player under him. He's a world-class coach and I know that he's definitely going to get a gig in no time. So it was more just a message to say thank you and to wish him and his family all the best."
Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon, who saw plenty of game time under Rennie both as a starter and a replacement off the bench, said he too was left stunned by the coaching switch.
"If I'm being honest it was a bit of a shock at the start, Dave was a great coach, so I was feeling sad for him," Gordon said. "But I've also heard great things about Eddie as well, so it's exciting. But the initial emotions, I guess, were shocked."
Gordon, Alaalatoa and the rest of Australia's playing cohort cannot however afford to waste any time feeling sorry for Rennie, with Jones already out and about on his reconnaissance mission as he attempts to get a handle on the talent at his disposal.
Jones travelled to Griffith to watch the Brumbies-Waratahs trial and backed up a week later for the trip to Narrabri to watch the Waratahs-Reds game, and the Wallabies coach has plans to visit with both the Rebels and Force in the coming weeks.
"We saw him in Griffith, we just caught up and had a coffee, and that was probably just to introduce ourselves because I hadn't met him," Alaalatoa told ESPN. "All you're seeing is from the media outlets, and listening to him talk in his interviews, and that was awesome.
"And I think that is going to be important for our group and for the players, to get him in front of the players as soon as we can, to try and get that connection, understand what he wants to see from the boys, and how the boys react to seeing him and the insight they get on their own development and what he's looking for to pick his World Cup squad.
"I think that's very important and he's been doing that, he's been busy since he landed back. He's been going to the [preseason] games it was good to see him in Griffith and he went to the Tahs-Reds game as well, so it's going to be a busy year."
Gordon agreed that it was very much a clean slate now at the Wallabies and that players who had been overlooked by Rennie, or stuck on the fringes, would now be revitalized by the chance to impress Jones.
"I sort of think if you look at it now it's whoever performs the best this year in Super Rugby would, you'd think, get first shot," Gordon said of Wallabies selection.
"But it's exciting for everyone, I know the Tahs boys are excited, some of the guys who were in that fringe Wallabies mix and Australia A now get an opportunity, [that's] exciting for competition across the board."