After a stellar individual display in the All Blacks' 35-20 victory over South Africa at Go Media Mt Smart, you'd be forgiven for forgetting Will Jordan hadn't played a test in nearly 300 days.
Jordan, 25, last donned the black jersey in September 2022, before an inner-ear vestibular issue left him with migraines and vertigo symptoms, ruling him out of the All Blacks' northern tour and the start of 2023.
Coach Ian Foster made a call to leave the livewire outside back at home in New Zealand for last week's Rugby Championship opener against Argentina, but unleashed Jordan on the world champions, with almost immediate results.
From the first whistle, Jordan added another chapter to his burgeoning All Blacks career in the 35-20 win.
Over 80 minutes, Jordan set up the All Blacks' opening try for Aaron Smith and had a vital hand in their second scored by Shannon Frizell, before finally going over himself late in the second half.
All up, Jordan made 11 runs for 72 metres and threw two offloads on attack, along with seven tackles from the right wing on defence.
Aside from his impact on the scoresheet, Jordan was electric when he touched the ball, notably in the first half, at times leaving South Africa with no answers to his combination of raw pace and attacking intelligence.
After so long out of test rugby, Jordan admits pre-match nerves took their toll leading to Saturday's stellar showing.
"There was a few nerves, to be honest," Jordan said. "I think when you've been away for a while, there's always those natural little jitters.
"It was good to be able to get a few touches early on, just to settle in a bit.
"Just, ultimately, I loved being back out there, I loved the competition.
"I definitely missed it while I was away."
Now, the All Blacks know it may be a case of selecting the right time to unleash Jordan on defences they'll come up against.
Foster - whose decision to rest Jordan from the trip to Mendoza was largely vindicated - will be cautious about when the winger will feature.
"One of the things we didn't want to put him through was a lot of extensive overseas travel," said Foster. "[Argentina] was the chance to give him a breather and to come back into the test in a simpler way, but he's good.
"He's had a really good week. It's been really short, with limited time.
"He's taken steps, but again, we'll keep listening to him."
While the condition has affected Jordan for large parts of 2023 - he only making his comeback towards the latter stages of Super Rugby Pacific - it's not as straightforward.
With the door open to take hold of the All Blacks No.14 jersey in a Rugby World Cup year, Jordan wants to - and feels like he can - suit up for every game available to him.
"I don't know if it's really that sort of case," Jordan added. "It's not really an issue on the field, it's more about managing it day-to-day.
"During Super Rugby, once I came back, I played seven of the last eight games. I think I've had a pretty good run, since we've been on top of it.
"I'm feeling confident to be in the group week in, week out."
