The off-the-ball incident that showed Noah Lolesio needs to be the Wallabies' 10

The Wallabies no.10 jersey has long been a beacon of the flair, skill, and talent of Australian rugby, making the hype, attention, and scrutiny of the player donning the jersey all the more intense.

Names like Larkham, Lynagh, and Ella are the names mentioned when people speak of the heights of Australian rugby.

In 2024, Joe Schmidt has selected three playmakers: Noah Lolesio, Ben Donaldson, and Tom Lynagh.

Comparing them with the legends of the game wouldn’t do anyone any good, but nevertheless these are the playmakers who have been charged with steering the Wallabies, and Schmidt says the time to back them is now.

Schmidt has made it abundantly clear with how he sees the lay of the land.

Lolesio has played the most minutes, starting four of the five Tests as well as appearing off the bench in the Georgia Test.

Donaldson has made four appearances, three from the bench, with one start against Georgia.

Lynagh has struggled with fitness, citing a hamstring complaint, but it is seemingly a confidence issue in his body as well as headspace.

Confidence is a crucial currency in the world of a no.10, this is due to the plethora of decisions they must make throughout the 80-minutes, one good or bad moment can boost or shake that confidence, snowballing one way or the other.

There is definitely an evident, growing confidence in Lolesio’s game and there’s good reason for it.

This is one of Lolesio’s longest consecutive run of matches in Wallaby gold.

He may have 22 Test caps, but almost all of them have come in small batches, an extremely hard way to learn and hone a craft as difficult as being an international no.10.

It’s also important to note the way his minutes have come about, often has either started or not been in the matchday 23 at all.

The playmaker was truly thrown in the deep end and would’ve benefited hugely for some longer minutes from the bench under the tutelage of the experienced campaigners who were brought in to replace him like Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, and James O’Connor.

The last time he had a run this long of starting games in a cluster was 2021, where he helped win the French series only to play three consecutive games against the All Blacks, two of which were in New Zealand, he was just 21 years old at the time.

It’s now 2024, and Lolesio is growing in confidence with every game, and it is clearly showing in the way he is attacking the line and taking personal responsibility of the attack.

Lolesio attacks

He is showing skills which he has been executing for the ACT Brumbies all season and that transferability of performance and form from club to Test level is what all players who want to make the next step must achieve.

The holding up of passes, the late change of directions and confidence to chip and chase are all signs he believes in what he is doing and believes in his skillset, this confidence is one of the biggest differences between the playmakers.

"I’ve had a lot of ins and outs within this Wallabies squad at a very young age. I’m 24 now, so I’m still young and I’m still learning as much as I can," Lolesio said in a Tuesday press conference.

“Joe’s been great, too. He just keeps harping on to keep backing myself in whatever I do on the field.

“He’s been really supportive individually and as a team as well. But we need to be better going forward. And hopefully these next few weeks we can show that improvement.”

Another key difference between the young playmakers is the style Schmidt wants his team to play.

Donaldson’s strength lies in his running game, but Schmidt requires his five-eighths to be conductors as well, the current gameplan requires Donaldson to tweak his game.

It’s a difficult thing to do with limited game time but Donaldson has seemed a little hesitant to throw himself into the contest and command the side as well as implement his strong running game.

This is also where Lolesio’s form is telling, he’s adapting his game, acknowledging he can’t just be a distributor.

"Ben Donaldson, he’s working really hard on his game and we’re trying to help him make sure that some of the things that he’s actually really good at get delivered consistently. He just didn’t get a good start in the Georgia game and then things didn’t flow for him,” Schmidt said in the week before the first Rugby Championship match.

"We just want to make sure that next time he goes in, he’s right up to speed and confident because he’s got a really good skillset."

Then there’s 21-year-old Lynagh, who has rocketed up the rankings to claim his first couple of Wallabies caps.

Lynagh is a raw talent, who has a big boot and a mature head on his shoulders, who probably has the most well-rounded game of the three playmakers.

Nevertheless, he’s young, and if there is one consensus amongst all the detractors and fans of Lolesio, it’s that he was thrown in too deep, too young.

There is an opportunity now to avoid the same mistake with Lynagh.

Managing his minutes and exposure, allowing him to find his way in the elite environment and building his game and body is a responsible and tactical course of action for Schmidt.

Lynagh is a project for 2027, where he will be almost the same age as Donaldson and Lolesio are now.

Finally, on Lolesio, he is showing signs that he is in the right headspace to lead a side at Test level and a prime example of this is the 37th minute against the Springboks.

Lolesio cleans up an overthrown lineout by Matt Faessler in the Springboks’ 22m and beats Siya Kolisi only to be smashed by hooker Malcom Marx.

He wore the shot well, but Carlo Tizzano was penalised for his clean out.

Lolesio can be seen to get up and slap his hands together in frustration, screaming "COME ON," looking at Tizzano.

His reaction reflected Wallabies fan's frustration with the mistake riddled start to the game, but it also showed Lolesio is ready to demand more from his teammates.

It showed leadership, trust in the process as well as frustration at the lack of execution.

Like with so many players in Australian rugby, Lolesio is starting to reach the age where is experience, maturity, and mental toughness is starting to show.

Lolesio should be given the reins for the remainder of the Rugby Championship so that he may grow with the team he is trying so hard to steer around the paddock.