Les Kiss has bitten his tongue when asked about the hefty Hunter Paisami suspension that has left the Wallabies coach contemplating Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's move back to the centres.
Paisami was banned for a head-clash high tackle which earned him a yellow card in Australia's chaotic 42-38 win over South Africa.
The centre had hoped to avoid suspension at the first hearing into the incident, but later admitted that an act of foul play had taken place.
That admission meant that what was meant to be a six week ban was downgraded.
"In light of Paisami accepting that he committed an act of foul play, as well as mitigating factors such as his recent disciplinary record, conduct, and remorse, the committee applied a two week/match reduction on the sanction," the judiciary committee determined.
Kiss still thought the punishment was a bit harsh, but shared a diplomatic response.
"I'll be careful what I say ... I thought it could have been a little bit less than that for sure," The Wallabies coach said at an event to mark the one year countdown until Rugby World Cup 2027.
Full-back Jock Campbell now comes into the Wallabies squad as the replacement for the Bledisloe series.
Losing Paisami makes the task of beating New Zealand and Australia reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup after 24 agonising years without it, that much tougher for the currently undefeated coach.
Kiss is aware of the "formidable" challenge that awaits as he looks to hand the All Blacks their first loss at Eden Park in 54 Tests.
The teams have very different form lines heading into the matchup, with the Wallabies on a five-game winning streak and their opponents having lost their past three.
"The last time (the All Blacks) lost four in a row, I don't know if that's happened before, but that makes it even more challenging," Kiss said.
It has happened on three occasions, the most recent time in 1998. All three times there were losses to Australia in those streaks.
As for who would replace Paisami in the number 12 jersey, the coach touted several options, including the dual-code superstar Suaalii.
"That's the value of having Joseph (Suaalii), he's done so much work in creating trouble over the last two, three years so that's an option," Kiss said.
"We've also got fairly handy options with Isaac (Henry), who's been there as well.
"Lipo (Filipo Daugunu), he covers the midfield and he covers the wing position as well so we have got some better-than-made replacements there.
"(Jordan Petaia) will come into the picture, for sure. Jordan can play 13, wing and 15, and that flexibility is really important for us."
Fellow centre Len Ikitau picked up an ankle injury in the South Africa match, but Kiss is optimistic he will be good to go, despite what he described as bad bruising in the joint.
