The dormant giant has at last awoken. Israel Folau could not have chosen a better time to remind all that he actually warrants being recognised as Australian rugby's premier drawcard.

That lofty tag which comes with a sizeable playing contract along with claims he is the Wallabies X-factor performer have felt somewhat hollow, because his actions in recent times haven't matched the big promotional push that has always surrounded Folau.

After months of inactivity, with a succession of downbeat performances for the Waratahs where Folau appeared to be just going through the motions, the return to the green and gold has clearly invigorated him.

There were only the devoted few at AAMI Park, understandable considering the appalling treatment the Melbourne Rebels have received from the Australian Rugby Union this year, but they were rewarded with regular bouts of Folau finesse.

After an 11-Test drought, Folau was back among the Australian try scorers- twice a recipient of Bernard Foley intuition. First up in the fourth minute came a well-directed cross-field kick from Foley where Folau out-scrambled his opposing fullback Kini Murimurivalu to score in the corner.

Then in the second half, a finely constructed attacking set-move involving a clever dummy runner before Foley threw a tight pass to Folau who was at full speed enabled him to enjoy two tries in a Test for the first time since November 2014.

In between were several smart midfield runs, where he constantly made ground, a deft backhand flick pass which almost led to Tevita Kurindrani scoring and even time in the sinbin when a lazy high tackle that should have only been a penalty saw him a ten-minute onlooker.

Karmichael Hunt Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Overall Folau's match statistics were impressive, making 129 metres from 11 runs, breaking five tackles, making three line-breaks and among his four offloads being involved in the lead up to Henry Speight's try.

It was such a flourishing performance that Wallaby coach Michael Cheika was demanding an encore. That will only come if Folau is provided with more possession- which against Fiji was fairly scanty, with the enthusiastic visitors enjoying 56 percent possession and 62 percent territory.

"We probably got to get the ball to him (Folau) a little bit more, and let him use it a bit more," mused Cheika.

That is bound to occur in the next two Test matches against Scotland and Italy, which will be a step up from the Fijian international.

It was overall a reasonable start to the Australian Test season- usually a time when the Wallabies splutter and play way off their best. Remember Samoa in Sydney in 2011?

One can see why Bernard Foley has become Australia's most valuable player when he controlled proceedings well, and made the most of limited attacking opportunities. His role was helped by precise service from scrum-half Will Genia, while Foley's sharing of the playmaker role with Karmichael Hunt worked.

Even though not knowing he was playing No 12 until just a few days before the game, Hunt, in his first Test, looked relatively composed and enjoyed the moments when he was first playmaker- which included the lead up to Folau's second try.

Leone Nakarawa Michael Dodge/Getty Images

The Foley and Hunt tag-team playmaker role is bound to continue as most modern coaches feel a bit jittery if they do not have a No 12 who can comfortably fit into the No 10 role. And with Australian rugby dry of No 10 candidates, it looks as if Hunt may be able to fill the vacuum.

There were far too many missed Australian tackles, but Hunt, whose defence at fullback for the Reds has occasionally been exposed, appeared far more relaxed in confronting opponents closer to the ruck.

As for man-of-the-match there was only one candidate- Fiji's Olympic gold medal winning lock Leone Nakarawa. What athleticism, what enthusiasm, what all-round prowess and what a reminder of the importance of Australia continuing to host Tests against such vibrant Pacific Island opponents.

The more Tests the Wallabies play against Fiji, Samoa and Tonga the better for all concerned.

That Australia has only played its close neighbour Fiji six times in the past 31 years- and two of those were World Cup matches- is ridiculous. That Australia hasn't played a Test in Suva since 1984 is even more damning.