Ten years ago Rob Horne was just another face in the world-record 109,874 crowd that witnessed an epic trans-Tasman encounter widely regarded 'the greatest rugby game ever' at Sydney's Olympic Stadium - this Saturday he's looking to write his own piece of Bledisloe Cup history in Melbourne.
Horne's sixth Test match for his country will be his first against the Kiwis, and the enormity of the occasion is not lost on the prodigiously talented 20-year-old.
"The Bledisloe is something special," Horne said on Thursday.
"It's a game that means a lot to both sides and the All Blacks backline is always red hot."
"Ever since I was a little fella the Bledisloe's something which I always sort of looked up to as a special occasion for Australian rugby."
Asked of his first memories of the Wallabies-All Blacks rivalry, the unassuming outside centre recalled New Zealand's famous 39-35 victory over the Wallabies in July, 2000.
"I can't remember specifically but I think it was (in 2000) at Homebush, that awesome Test. It was unbelievable."
He added when asked his reaction to All Blacks great Jonah Lomu's match-winning try scored in injury time: "I was like the other 100,000 that were there - I was pretty filthy when he went over. It was an awesome atmosphere. Having 100,000 there, I was a little fella and it was great."
While Horne briefly allowed himself to reflect on the past, his focus is firmly set on reversing the Wallabies' seven-game losing run against the Kiwis.
Having scored a points victory over star Springboks centre Jaque Fourie in Brisbane last weekend, the highly rated youngster faces another stern test against All Blacks No.13 Conrad Smith this weekend.
"I like Conrad as a player, I've always said that," Horne explained.
"I admire how he goes about the game and he does a lot of things that the wider public don't see on the field but he's very impressive and someone I've looked up to a bit."
Asked if the Waratahs' strong showing against the Hurricanes - who boast the All Blacks centre pairing of Smith and Ma'a Nonu - in the final round of the Super 14 season, Horne, who soundly outplayed Smith on that occasion, replied: "You can't really read into that at all because we've got two different packs and as a backline you feed off how successful your pack is."
"Our forwards were pretty successful that night against the Canes and that led to us having a good night out in the backs. You take a little bit of confidence going forward but you can't look too much into it."
Meanwhile, Horne backed recalled inside centre Berrick Barnes to make the most of his selection reprieve after Quade Cooper's two-match suspension forced a backline reshuffle.
"I'm pretty fortunate I've had a bit of background with Berrick," he said.
"He offers something different to Gits. I've become comfortable with Gitty inside me and now with Berrick coming in again he does offer something different and I'm fortunate enough to have played with him a fair bit this year and I'm very comfortable with Berrick."