The attitude towards goal kicking of ‘hopefully he kicks it’ is simply not gonna cut it. It’s literally your full-time job, perhaps you should stay back a few minutes after training and practice until you don’t miss the goals any more.
“If the halves aren’t in at 8am tomorrow morning working on passing the ball to the chest of the guy they’re trying to pass it to, something is wrong. If [blank] isn’t in at 8am tomorrow working on kicking the ball through the goddamn posts, something is wrong.”
Sound like it’s criticism aimed at Noah Lolesio? Nope, it was about Bernard Foley – written in a now infamous fan rant by Jake Quigley after the Wallabies home loss to Scotland in 2017.
One of my roles at The Roar is to go through the fan-reviewed data of Wallaby performances, publish those results, help manage socials and whatnot, and whenever any Wallabies news drops, such as with the squad news earlier this week, the comments often come out lashing the flyhalf, before, during and after the game – in 2024’s case, Noah Lolesio.
In all of the post-match fan ratings so far this year, not a single game has seen the flyhalf pick up a pass mark.
Most fans desperately care about the Wallabies and who is in the 23 every weekend – and they are not afraid to show it, especially if it is a selection they disagree with. But even in these circumstances, the flyhalf stands out.
Over the past 30 years, few positions have transformed more. No.10s are expected to be a general marshalling the troops, usually a kicker in some form, and also be prepared to jump in and do the hard yards. Defining their role is harder than any other position – and often, how your flyhalf plays is key in how your team plays.
My philosophy towards flyhalves isn’t just based on traditional notions of picking and sticking – although there is merit to that approach, and it is shown to work by many international coaches.
I have a theory that flyhalves have the most opportunity to impose their natural style on a game, and some players are more naturally suited to combat particular teams than others.
For example, taking on a South Africa, where the analysis matters to break down their structures, your best bet would be an experienced head – like say, an older and wiser Quade Cooper in 2021.
To take on the All Blacks, you pick someone who knows the systems well, but isn’t afraid to suddenly go for a broken play approach, get involved, get physical, and do the dirty work when things open up – like a Carter Gordon in Dunedin last year, or a Tane Edmed.
It isn’t a perfect theory. Sometimes, there are those special players who, no matter the opposition, can find a way to deconstruct their game plan and use the weapons at their disposal to steer them to victory, like Dan Carter or Stephen Larkham. Those players are special for a reason.
Who they have around them also can contribute – would Romain Ntamack have been as effective for Les Bleus if he didn’t have Antoine Dupont as the other half? Sometimes, it also just comes down to time in the saddle – the Cooper of 2011 didn’t play with the patience of his older counterpart in 2021.
So, where exactly does Noah fit? Honestly, I don’t know. Unlike the English flyhalf he is often compared to, Marcus Smith, he is still to define himself as a flyhalf. But does that mean we kick him to the kerb?
The issue people have is that it doesn’t feel like, as the general leading the troops, Lolesio has taken full ownership of the Wallabies, and until he does, there will be questions around him.
Whether it be due to an apparent lack of confidence because he’s been chopped and changed so much over his career, his inability to translate his consistency at the Brumbies to the next level, or another reason, seems to suggest he’s not the right choice.
While many fans are quick to claim Noah has had enough chances, 2024 marks only the third time Lolesio has started in back-to-back Test matches, with 2021 seeing him take charge for six consecutive Tests, three apiece against France and New Zealand, while 2022 saw him start in the England series.
Let’s be clear here, if you make the Wallabies, you clearly must be okay at playing rugby. You can disagree, but the stats tell you Noah is a talented player – as a flyhalf, he has won a home series against France, beaten South Africa and was part of the side that broke a seven-year losing streak to Eddie Jones’ England.
That isn’t excusing big losses to New Zealand or being part of the side that lost to Italy. His inconsistency is a microcosm of the Wallabies in general. But, the kid can play.
In his defence, if I effectively played second fiddle to Cooper, Foley, James O’Connor and Carter Gordon for most of my career, I’d be lacking confidence too.
Yet, when you put him in Brumbies’ colours, we have a more concrete answer as to who Noah the flyhalf is. He is more a consistent anchor, a pure systems flyhalf – not flashy, not standout, but bolstering the weapons around him.
He’s a piece in a well-functioning unit, and his partnership with Ryan Lonergan and Jack Debcrezeni are significantly underappreciated.
He was the second-highest point scorer in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, in a side that finished third on the ladder. He kicked over 87 per cent – so clearly, he can play.
If he wants a systems flyhalf, Joe Schmidt is probably wise to stick with Lolesio for the British & Irish Lions, and the only thing Schmidt can do to enable him to succeed is consistent time in the saddle and the right people around him.
Lolesio didn’t shake off the concerns around his position in The Rugby Championship, but there was improvement. In the two matches that saw the Wallabies well beaten against the Boks, he showed clear progression, with his systems approach weathering the storm in their sole win in Argentina.
But truth be told, he needs to show more – he stands in the shadows of some of the best flyhalves the game has ever seen.
Bringing his issues back to the Wallabies in general, it is clear in context why Lolesio – or any other player in the flyhalf position – gets the rough end of the stick from the fans.
Australia has, traditionally, prided itself on our playmakers – we look at the likes of Michael Lynagh, Stephen Larkham and Elton Flatley, players who won us World Cups, Lions tours and Bledisloe Cups.
Those were players who defined what good Wallaby rugby was – exciting, innovative, confident, and grabbing games by the scruff of the neck. The more you look at that time, the more you realise how truly spoiled we were to have such quality.
However, if they defined the golden years for the Wallabies, the flyhalf position now also defines the Wallabies today – talented footballers struggling to find a way forward, struggling with confidence, and desperately trying to serve a frustrated fan base that wants results quickly.
It means we hyper-fixate on every single thing they do, analysing and criticising a decision they likely have a split-second to decide on. It can mean that we focus on one bad pass or one missed conversion, and miss that the performance overall led to a Wallaby win, like with Lolesio in La Plata.
There is healthy criticism, and then there is excessive micro-examination of every error. With such a perfectionist approach, we will never find the right flyhalf to lead this team forward.
It’s not a healthy way to engage with the team – and I for one am tired of the flyhalf, whether it be Lolesio, Donaldson, or Lynagh, being roasted and singled out with the same special treatment that was flung at Cooper, Foley and Berrick Barnes before them.
Yet, something interesting has emerged in 2024 – after the failings of last year, people have recognised Schmidt has a lot of work to do to get this team back up the world rankings, and have, with good reason, given him the leeway he needs. At least there have been some wins and results that come with that.
That leeway, however, hasn’t been applied to Donaldson or Lolesio apparently, based on the online chatter from fans.
This is not to say you shouldn’t call performances out – if Lolesio has a bad game, we’re going to point it out.
But if we can give Joe Schmidt leeway to build this team up, maybe we should start to afford that to the team’s general too.
