George Gregan does not play Test matches any more; he passes milestones. Having become only the fourth player to win 100 caps he marches on to Sydney, where he will face the All Blacks on Saturday and equal David Campese's Australian record of 101 caps.
A fortnight after that he will be in South Africa for the concluding match of the Tri-Nations series to move clear of Campo, and by the end of next season he will have passed Philippe Sella of France (111) and will be closing in on England's world record holder Jason Leonard (114).
The Wallaby coach Eddie Jones likened his 31-year-old captain to a great batsman who re-takes his guard after reaching a century: "He was outstanding," said Jones. "But I don't think we should get too carried away because I think he has a few more to go."
Gregan's contract expires at the season's end but there is every sign he still has the desire to play Test rugby and there is no doubt Jones wants him.
He is the great technician of half-back play and though he rarely produces moments of startling individual brilliance he is the glue that holds together Australia's game plan.
A shoulder injury kept him out of the opening Tri-Nations match in Wellington, notable for appalling weather and an inept performance by Stephen Larkham.
With the old Canberra firm of Gregan and Larkham reunited, the Wallabies possessed the composure and experience that the Springboks lacked. "There's 170 Test caps between nine and 10," said the South Africa coach Jake White. "That's 45 or 50 caps short of our full team."
Still, it took a South African to decide the game - albeit one who has shaken the dust of his homeland from his feet.
Earlier this year White was confident he had convinced Clyde Rathbone to return home and play for the Springboks. White's high regard for the player was established when he coached a Rathbone-captained South African Under-21 team to the world title two years ago.
Rathbone declined and White had a first-hand reminder of what he was missing as the Wallaby right wing powered over in the corner for victory with nine minutes left.
White joked earlier in the week that the only weakness in Rathbone's game was that "he doesn't look so great in gold". By Saturday night it was no longer a laughing matter: "The thing that hurts the most is seeing that bloody No14 in gold diving over in the corner to score the match-winning try."
Australia's win leaves them in the hunt to claim their first Tri-Nations title since 2001, although an All Black victory on Saturday would guarantee a sixth title in nine seasons for New Zealand.
It is already shaping up as one of the most even competitions since 1996. Jones said the differences between the top five teams in the world were marginal and also pointed to the Springbok reawakening. South Africa have a grand slam tour of Britain and Ireland at the end of the year and White has already begun to speculate.
"That's one of things that I'm excited about," he said. "Knowing how the Wallabies and All Blacks demolished England here means that if we build on what we have here there's no reason we can't go through the grand slam unbeaten."
Australia: Latham; Rathbone, Mortlock, Giteau (Burke, 64), Tuqiri; Larkham, Gregan (capt); Young, Paul, Baxter, Harrison (Vickerman, 66), Sharpe, Smith (Roe, 66), Waugh, Lyons.
Scorers: Tries: Tuqiri, Larkham, Latham, Rathbone. Conversions: Giteau, Burke. Penalties: Giteau 2.
South Africa: Montgomery; Paulse, Joubert, Barry, J de Villiers (Du Toit, h-t); Van der Westhuyzen, Du Preez; Du Randt, Smit (capt), Andrews (Van der Linde, 58), B Botha, Britz, S Burger (Van Niekerk, 28-36), Venter, Cronje.
Scorers: Tries: Van der Westhuyzen, De Villiers, Du Toit. Conversion : Montgomery. Penalties : Montgomery 3.
Referee : C White (England).
Attendance : 42,507.
