England knew it themselves. They warned all week that Joe Schmidt, among the shrewdest coaches on the planet, would not unleash Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i unless he was certain that the code convert was ready to hop back into union for his first match since school.

During what turned out to be a devastating and dramatic loss, the England camp were proven absolutely correct. Sua’ali’i produced a remarkable Wallabies debut that inspired Australia to a first victory at Twickenham since 2015 and just a second win over England in 12 attempts since then.

The 21-year-old is being paid handsomely – to the tune of around AUS $5.35 million (£2.75 million) over the next three seasons – for this foray into the 15-a-side game with the Wallabies, which should bring in next year’s British and Irish Lions tour as well as a home World Cup in 2027.

Already, the investment seems promising. His presence alone will be enough to enliven the Lions series. Ominously for Andy Farrell, he is likely to be much better by the time of that first Test on July 19 in Brisbane.

Sua’ali’i underlined that he is no luxury plaything. His was a performance of substance that married formidable athleticism and sleight of hand. It owed much to how Schmidt deployed him in a tactical sense, too.

All week, Australia were unapologetically bold about selecting him – even if the initial whispers of a potential start at outside centre felt ambitious. When the Wallabies team was announced on Thursday afternoon, a big image of Sua’ali’i accompanied it.

At kick-off, their headline act was front and centre. He stood on Australia’s 10-metre line and looked a picture of calm. After the intensity of the National Rugby League (NRL) and State of Origin in Australia, players are not easily ruffled. Ben Te’o used to scoff whenever atmospheres in Cardiff or Edinburgh were deemed as hostile.

Geoff Parling explained on Tuesday that Sua’ali’i, who is slightly rangier than Israel Folau, spends stretches of training sessions walking around the field and talking himself through scenarios. Parling also emphasised where Sua’ali’i had an advantage over a player like Sam Burgess; in his upbringing. He was not coming in cold, having played union up until his late teens at The King’s School, Parramatta. Sure enough, Sua’ali’i exhibited that familiarity through a conspicuous feel for the game.

He was measured in defence and even his errors were constructive, and easily tidied up with time to build cohesion with his colleagues. One that springs to mind came in the 28th minute, after Tom Wright had sidled over for the Wallabies’ first try.

Australia gathered the restart and spread the ball across their own 22, catching England narrow. Wright arced sideways and Sua’ali’i cut a short angle. Had Wright lifted a deft pass rather than firing a flat one, Sua’ali’i might have carved directly up the middle of the pitch. As it happened, a knock-on presented England with a scrum.

Moments earlier, with the Wallabies trailing 15-3, Sua’ali’i had released Wright superbly. Henry Slade rushed out of the defensive line but could not stop Andrew Kellaway from delivering a swift take-and-give that put England in serious strife.

Sua’ali’i gathered and subtly stepped off his right foot before arcing to the outside of England wing Ollie Sleightholme. Pressing up from full-back, George Furbank bit in as well and the next pass was timed to perfection, Sua’ali’i flicking a one-handed, basketball-style chest pass out of his right mitt that presented Wright with the easiest of run-ins.

The most gifted sportspeople make instants such as those seem far more straightforward than they actually are, and Sua’ali’i unfurled another piece of languid brilliance early in the second period when Noah Lolesio aimed a shallow chip into the England 22. Sua’ali’i glided in from the outside centre channel and jumped to deflect an overhead pass to Wright.

As he settles in union and picks up more touches, team-mates will be rewarded for simply tracking him. The same was true for the All Blacks and Sonny Bill Williams. Put simply, Sua’ali’i makes things happen.

His restart work caused Schmidt to anoint him as “a bit of an aerial freak”. That was no overstatement. It was staggering, and vitally important. Of the eight restarts that Australia had across a wild 80 minutes, Sua’ali’i helped to win back possession four times. Three of those strikes were too long for him to compete, which provides a good idea of his strike-rate.

In the 80th minute, following a Maro Itoje try that appeared to have put England on course to nick a win, Ben Donaldson’s dink was weighted beautifully. It travelled precisely 10 metres and allowed Sua’ali’i to jump against Itoje, who spilled. From the ensuing scrum, Len Ikitau eventually flipped the offload that sent Max Jorgensen scampering down the touchline to glory.

There were other Australian heroes. Schmidt singled out Ikitau as well as Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson; his combative back-rowers. On Sua’ali’i, the Wallabies head coach afforded himself the smallest degree of self-congratulation.

“I know there were some doubts expressed about the risk [of picking him],” Schmidt said. “I hope people would now see the opportunity.” He was absolutely right, of course. And, all of a sudden, the Lions tour seems infinitely more compelling.