One-time garbage man Brandon Paenga-Amosa was sitting in a Chinese restaurant on Wednesday night crying tears of joy.
A text message alerted the Queensland Reds hooker of his Wallabies squad call up, with the 22-year-old now in the frame to start against world No.2 Ireland in Brisbane next Saturday.
Stephen Moore's retirement and Australian coach Michael Cheika's decision to rest Tatafu Polota-Nau has left Paenga-Amosa in a battle with Jordan Uelese and Folau Fainga'a to play the three-Test series.
Whoever wins the battle will duel with 111-Test veteran Rory Best in what seems an unfair fight given all three Wallaby hopefuls boast a combined 30 minutes of international experience.
It seems a rapid rise for the Super Rugby newbie but the Auckland-born powerhouse says it's been quite the journey since moving to Sydney as a four-year-old.
Reflecting on where he's come from, Paenga-Amosa revealed he and Fainga'a worked together as garbage collectors in Sydney while looking for their big rugby break.
The Reds hooker, who played rugby league until he was 15, also spent time studying theology, landscaping, labouring and scaffolding as he plied his true trade with club rugby outfit Southern Districts.
Looked at and then overlooked by the Melbourne Rebels, Paenga-Amosa has flourished since called on by Queensland coach Brad Thorn and said his latest honour was hard to fathom.
"It means the world; it's been a hard journey, been a lot of setbacks," he said, revealing he broke down on hearing the news.
"It (working as a garbage man) has helped me really work hard for things in life, it's taught me to be humble - up at 4am every morning - and taught me lots of life skills, I owe it to the garbos."
The No.2 starred against the Highlanders last weekend, leading the Reds' scrum in a domination that included his fourth try of the season.
Labelling himself a "dinky-di" Australian, Paenga-Amosa credits former Queensland rugby league captain Gorden Tallis for his early inspiration and hopes to bring a bit of Raging Bull to his own performance if preferred at Suncorp Stadium next weekend.
"He was just a really tough, real rough man and ever since I've just gone for Queensland (despite living in Sydney)," he said.
"So thank you, Gorden Tallis. If I get that opportunity to play ... I can't wait; it'd be awesome."
