They are only four games and eight months apart. And he shouldn't have trouble remembering that evening in Rosario he piled a try and two conversions onto a swollen scoreline the Wallabies badly needed.

But Foley could not answer for sure this week. To be fair, the experiences will be radically different.

"The debut was something very special, to wear [the jersey] for the first time you always remember it," he said.

"And that day was pretty magical in how it unfolded – to be able to get on and make an impact. It wasn't as pressure-cooker an environment either, the guys had already sewn up the match, so I was able to just enjoy the occasion and the experience of it more."

Saturday night will be something else entirely. A home crowd, a kick-off to navigate and a Test match to control from the get-go.

"It lifts up to another level of intensity but the fundamentals don't change and for me it's a great exciting challenge, calling the shots a bit for the national side, and something you dream of," Foley said.

"Hopefully I don't let the occasion overwhelm me, it's just back down to business."

Speaking of business, Foley has emerged as quite the captain of industry over the past two years.

He was no teenage sensation like other recent Australian No.10s, such as Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale or James O'Connor.

He rose steadily through the system instead. Through sevens – picking up a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – and Super Rugby, first at fullback to learn his craft and then five-eighth, pausing for a shoulder reconstruction along the way.

Along with Michael Hooper, Foley has been the most consistent player in a Waratahs jersey for two seasons. He played all 16 games last year and has missed all of eight minutes so far this season.

But the 24-year-old has hit his stride only recently. Coach Michael Cheika and assistant Daryl Gibson, a 19-Test former All Black, have been constant but measured supporters of their playmaker.

Gibson has worked hard on augmenting Foley's natural instincts – his running game, energy and appetite for opportunity – with confidence, control and timing.

When the Waratahs hit a rough patch in South Africa, Foley and halfback Nick Phipps went back to the drawing board.

Alongside Beale, they straightened up the attack and took responsibility for the team's overall game – no easy feat for two newcomers to do in the middle of a Wallaby-soaked side.

The change – as subtle as it was effective – earned high praise from Cheika after a home win against a dangerous Hurricanes side.

"[Foley and Phipps] are still very young but also maybe they haven't been handed the idea that they are looking after everyone else as well," Cheika said.

"Both of the lads took a big step up in maturity in not just looking after their own game but looking after the other lads as well in the way they set up the team."

The trio have not looked back, but Foley does not hesitate in his self–assessment.

"There's probably been times over the last couple of years where I've faded in and out of games or been inconsistent, or not taking control of the game when it was there to be taken," he said.

"It's just a lot of experience gained over the last couple of years, and the confidence in doing my role for the team. Hopefully that maturity and leadership has definitely grown."

There was no personal touch from the Wallabies coach when Foley found out he had been given the nod this week. He was just in among his team mates when the slide was put up with the first Test side of the new season.

"It was a bit of a shock," he admits, adding that it wasn't until he joined the Waratahs and began finding his feet that the Test No.10 jersey began cropping up in his head every now and then.

"Before that it was still only a dream. To play for sevens was special and even then I didn't think I'd be able to make a professional living out of playing rugby.

"It wasn't until you play with the likes of some of the players [at the Waratahs] – and you start competing and holding your own with those sort of players, then you believe you can take the next step."

From steps to leaps, right into the Wallabies under new coach Ewen McKenzie. And now France, and Frederic Michalak, and the expectations of a nation. It won't be Rosario, but Brisbane could host some magic of its own this weekend too.

"I think Saturday night's a great challenge for me to run the side," Foley said.

"You don't always want to be a bench player, you want to cement your spot in the starting side and playing No.10 has been a dream, so to do it for the Wallabies ... you might have to ask me after the game. I'm just really excited for what's to come."