It's not often a coach at the rugby World Cup uses a postgame news conference to make a sales pitch for one of his players.
But that's what David Clark did after young Canadian forward Josh Jackson came off the bench to turn in an eye-catching performance against Italy. With the Canadian lineout in disarray, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound No. 8 came on for only his fifth cap and steadied the ship.
In a tournament with few high notes for Canada, Jackson and hooker Mark Lawson have turned heads.
"Jackson certainly put himself into somebody's books, somewhere in Europe," Clark told the world's media after the Italy game. "You should be looking at him to be playing professional rugby.
"He's 112 kilograms [246 pounds] he's 23 years old. He's extremely athletic. He needs to gets stronger at the tackle line, but if he goes to play in the south of France, that's where he'll definitely learn to get stronger. That was a good performance for him, and he served us very, very well."
Built like a human straw, with runway good looks, Jackson is easy to spot as he lopes to practice, usually with headphones clamped to his head.
Jackson is working on thickening his body, something he will have to do to leave a mark at this level of rugby. He put on 22 pounds this year and is looking to add to that.
Number 8s, such as Lawrence Dallagio of England and Toutai Kefu of Australia, are like battering rams when they pick the ball up from the back of the scrum and attack the defence. They also hit like a hammer in the tackle.
Jackson's body, in contrast, is a work in progress.
His summer was interrupted because of appendicitis, and even when healthy, he had not been a favourite of the selectors "for whatever reason." So World Cup starts against Wales and Tonga and a substitute appearance against Italy were both unexpected and welcome.
The crowds in Australia included his parents and both sets of grandparents.
Born in Fergus, Ont., Jackson makes his home in Nanaimo, B.C. He is a graduate of Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island, where the Canadian team spent most of September training.
He can play anywhere in the back row or the second row, but No. 8 is his preferred -- and probably most suitable -- position.
He plans to take a break after the World Cup while he looks for a professional contract.
Clark has extensive rugby contacts around the world and will no doubt help Jackson connect with a pro club. The Clark connection has already paid dividends -- Clark's son-in-law is David Nucifora, the coach of the Super 12 ACT Brumbies, who took Jackson on while he was in charge of the Wests.
Jackson hopes the right contact -- and some highlight videos -- will earn him a tryout somewhere after the World Cup. He hopes to avoid hiring an agent.
Before the tournament, injuries finally allowed Jackson a chance to show his skills against the New Zealand Maori. The same thing happened at the World Cup, where an injury to veteran Ryan Banks opened the way for Jackson to start against Wales.
He has made the most of it, especially in the lineout.
Jackson is a lineout specialist -- the man hoisted in the air by teammates, soaring high to pluck the ball and fire it back.
He is very good at it. While his vertical jump is only average, he attributes his success to being able to read the people boosting him.
It helps that while Jackson is tall, he is not that heavy. Prop Kevin Tkachuk, for example, can lift him solo.
Also, Jackson has good hands.
When not playing rugby, Jackson is a courier for Access Records in Victoria, delivering documents and files. The company is a big supporter of rugby and he is grateful for the way it has allowed him time off to pursue his sport.