At a dire time when Australian rugby on and off the field is rudderless, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has called for his Test squad to show urgency and an attitude where wearing the national jersey actually means something.
After their loss to Scotland, advice came from every quarter -- some well-directed, some too emotional and missing the point. Yet the most inspirational of messages that will make a difference is right under their nose. It comes from within their own ranks -- past and present.
It is ridiculous to say current Wallabies players aren't passionate about playing for their country. They are passionate. But sometimes they must be reminded it is not anyone's right to be a national representative, and that their position should never be taken for granted.
Last Friday, Matt Hodgson announced his retirement. In the build-up to the Australia-Scotland Test, it did not get much press. But it was still an important moment in reminding all how strength of mind and belief that you can overcome any obstacle can take you to giddy heights.
Hodgson had urgency. He had attitude ... in abundance.
More a grafter than gifted, Hodgson was never going to be a regular Test footballer, always a fringe dweller. But every time he was given a chance to play in the Australian colours, he put absolutely everything into it.
In some ways, he resembled Simon Poidevin. 'The King' was a relentless warrior, who bled green and gold. But his ball handling skills were questioned. One coach, Peter Crittle, called him Venus De Milo.
Poidevin's sheer commitment to the Wallabies cause was always overwhelming, and memories of him taking on anything and everything abound. These moments included walking up to a highly emotional Poidevin in the Eden Park dressing room after Australia had just won the Bledisloe Cup in 1986, to be told: "Now I can live in peace." That remains one of my most vivid snapshots of that eventful series in New Zealand.
As for the appalling situation Australian rugby is currently in, where two Super Rugby teams -- the Rebels and Force -- suffer through an endless stay of execution, the most poignant memory will always be Hodgson.
A media conference several months ago, in which Hodgson, close to tears, explained how horrible it was for the Australian Rugby Union to target his province, will not be forgotten, as it provided a human face to an insensitive and poorly managed behind-closed-doors campaign.
Then again, what more can one expect from someone who indicated to all right from the start he would be completely honest.
One of the Western Force's favourite stories revolve around the time when Hodgson was interviewed for the final spot in their original roster by their first-season coach John Mitchell. After the interview he sent a test message to Mitchell: "Regardless of who you pick I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. If you do pick me, I will never let you down."
Hodgson was true to his word. Over the next decade or so, he never let any of the Force coaches down.
If Hodgson's attitude doesn't convince those in the Wallabies squad that nothing less than 100 percent dedication is acceptable, then let's head to the Australian rugby vaults.
Forget about fan bleats; the story of Jack Baxter should be tacked up on every Wallabies dressing room wall as obligatory reading for anyone wearing the green and gold.
A World War II veteran with the Royal Australian Navy, Baxter was the Wallabies' reliable tight-head prop on their successful 1949 Bledisloe Cup-winning tour of New Zealand. After the tour, Baxter returned to the defence force and was a leading seaman on the supply ship, HMAS Tarakan, that was moored in Sydney Harbour at the naval dockyard- Garden Island.
On January 25, 1950, the Sydney waterfront was rocked by an explosion aboard HMAS Tarakan after petrol fumes from a disused tank between decks were ignited by a cigarette or a spark from an electric fan. Three sailors were killed instantly, while four more later died. Many were injured.
Baxter was sighted with his head hanging out of a porthole. Rescuers, who had to cut through the side of the Tarakan to get to those on-board, discovered that Baxter had broken numerous bones, chipped vertebrae and was badly burned on his legs, back, arms and face. He was unconscious for well over a week, and numerous Sydney club footballers, fearing he was going to die, donated blood to help save his life.
Of the explosion, Baxter said: "One minute I was doing some work below decks, the next I woke up in a hospital bed."
Baxter remained in hospital for nine months, and he was still in plaster when he left. Then an ankle, which could not be set in hospital as it had been too badly burned, had to be rebroken.
When he left hospital, he vowed that he would play for Australia again. His friends laughed him off.
At the start of the 1951 grade season, Baxter, now known as Tarakan Jack, was training with his club side, Eastern Suburbs. By June, less than 17 months after the explosion, he was back in the Test front-row, tussling with the All Blacks at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He played in two more Bledisloe Cup series, and against the 1952 Fijians for South Harbour, Sydney, NSW and the Australian United Services side. Baxter, who played nine Tests, died in 2004.
If the drive and willpower of their own, Hodgson and Tarakan Jack, can't inspire the Wallabies, then nothing will.