Former Wallabies playmaker backs Noah Lolesio to retain 10 jersey
Dual international Mat Rogers doesn't believe Sunday's Rugby Championship test against South Africa is the moment to axe Wallabies rookie Noah Lolesio.
Whether Lolesio retains his starting role against the world champion Springboks on the Gold Coast is one of several selection issues for coach Dave Rennie after last weekend's loss to the All Blacks in Perth.
The 21-year-old is yet to impose himself at test level and Rennie could be tempted to move utility Reece Hodge into the No.10 jersey this weekend.
Veteran James O'Connor is back training but may not be rushed back from the groin injury that has sidelined him since mid-May.
Rogers, who himself had to withstand criticism of his influence as a playmaker during his Wallabies career, believes persisting with Lolesio is worth it if Rennie truly feels he's Australia's long-term option in that role.
"Chopping and changing I don't think is the answer," Rogers told AAP at a promotional event for Australia's 2027 Rugby World Cup bid.
"If you think you've got the right guy there, then you've got to persist with him through the good and the bad and the bad can sometimes be real bad.
"You take someone out and how long does it take when you bring them back to get their confidence back? I'd be persistent."
Despite a 3-0 Bledisloe Cup series loss to the All Blacks this year, Rogers feels there were signs Australia has the potential for much better results in the future.
He singled out Jordan Petaia as a standout performer and said dropping Lolesio could have a knock-on effect across the backline.
"We've shown we can compete ... we've got some great players," Rogers said.
"Jordan Petaia, he just looks like an out-and-out star.
"It's just getting the ball in these guys hands in the right moments and, like I said, if the people inside him - a guy like Jordan - are chopping and changing all the time, the combinations change.
"There's a lot of combinations within the team - teams within the team - and the stronger you can develop those the better your team's going to function as a whole."
- Ed Jackson
Latest Comments
Interesting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
Go to comments