After being in and out of the Australia team for years like he’s been spinning through revolving doors, Noah Lolesio could be forgiven for taking nothing for granted about his hugely encouraging run as the Wallabies’ key pivot at No.10.
The gifted 24-year-old has looked the part during the first two winning Tests of the British Isles tour with his 25 points and assured, controlling displays that it feels a given he’ll start his eighth match out of the last nine in gold on Sunday against Scotland at Murrayfield.
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If so, he’ll doubtless be pitted against the mercurial Finn Russell, one of the most gifted if unpredictable flyhalfs in the game, but after a spell when no-one could nail down the No.10 jumper the Brumbies’ playmaker will not care a hoot about considered a safe pair of hands in comparison to the Lions’ will-o-the-wisp.
“As a flyhalf, I respect Finn’s game a lot. He can do it all – he can run, he can pass, find space in the backfield as well,” said Lolesio, who’s only missed starting in one Test – the humiliating loss to Argentina when he was out injured – since July.
“But I’ve got a job to do, if selected. Even though it’s awesome facing players like Finn Russell, if selected, I’ll be doing all like all I can to put the best foot forward for what the team needs me to do,” said Lolesio, who’s been leading the team through their paces with temperatures having dropped to sub-zero in the Scottish capital.
“I’m pretty used to it, coming from Canberra,” he smiles. “But, yeah, it’s just cold out there!” The good news? Temperatures are set to rise again under grey skies before Sunday’s duel.
There’ll be no Samu Kerevi on his outside on Sunday, which he describes as a “big loss” following the 31-year-old centre’s second-half red card which briefly threatened to unsettle the Wallabies against Wales until Lolesio steered them expertly through a mini-crisis.
“But we really push the squad mentality, so the next man in, whoever gets the opportunity to wear that 12 jersey, we’ve just got to take a step forward and the next man will do the job,” said Lolesio.
The odds are that when Joe Schmidt names his team on Friday (Saturday AM), Len Ikitau, who’s had a brilliant tour so far with a magical, match-winning sleight of hand offload against England and a bit of dancing brilliance to leave Wales fullback Cameron Winnett flat-footed, will revert to 12 from 13.
That would leave Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to start again at outside centre.
There’s no question Schmidt has finally given Lolesio, who was brutally axed from Eddie Jones’s World Cup squad, the rust and confidence to kick on after his terrific Super Rugby Pacific season, when he was second in points-scoring (150) with a goal-kicking percentage of 85 per cent.
As Lolesio reflected before coming out on tour, “Joe’s been great. He just keeps harping on to keep backing myself in whatever I do on the field. He’s been really supportive individually.”
And, collectively, it’s helped the Wallabies flow again.
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