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He was far from perfect, but Joe Schmidt backed Noah Loretio after the Wallabies’ last-minute win over Los Pumas in Buenos Aires.
With the number 10 shirt for the Wallabies being one of the most highly regarded positions in Australian rugby, the 24-year-old put in another brilliant, diamond-like performance to show that there will continue to be debate over his place in the team.
The outstanding shooter, who has made 23 appearances, missed a very easy penalty just before half-time in the second Test match, which looked set to cost him dearly.
In the 64th minute, Loresio was seen succumbing to pressure and pushing himself back to drive the ball back into the defensive line.
That decision proved costly, especially after he then threw a hospital pass to Carlo Tizzano, who was immediately met by the onrushing defender.
Tizzano held on, but two steps later Loresio did not reset his boot towards the ball but instead fired a difficult pass along the 22-metre line that was cleared by 206cm Nick Frost.
Argentina capitalised on the error and missed out on a try, but the costly error resulted in a penalty that Argentina took the lead again shortly afterwards, wasting time on the game.
But Loresio didn’t stay stuck in his shell and continued to show maturity as he played the game.
He soon exploded an up-and-under, but with the Pumas’ chip-and-chase unstructured and broken play, Loresio showed his mettle by exploiting the staggered defensive lines.
Lolesio couldn’t push Max Jorgensen wide in the wet, but his 40-metre run and pass kept the Wallabies on the right end of the field for the final four minutes. There, the Wallabies didn’t need a second invitation, the visitors won a penalty and Ben Donaldson took care of the rest with a simple penalty.
Schmidt, who had the opportunity to benefit from Johnny Sexton’s guidance while in Ireland, said he was delighted to see Loresio continue to support his craft in difficult circumstances.
“I really liked the way he backed himself,” Schmidt said.
“He twice got back in the air but didn’t get the right result. But he came back to the ground and ran from his own 22-yard line to almost set up Max Jorgensen for what would have been a fantastic long-range try.
“(He) forced the ball to Nick Frost at one point, I thought he would have been better off going into the city, but it’s easy to make that decision when the people in the box can see everything. He’s on a very turbulent, wet pitch, quite a hostile environment, and I think he’s done really well.
“There’s always something for him to tear down. He’s challenging himself more and more, and I like the way he’s trying to build his game.”
Playmakers like 25-year-old Donaldson and 21-year-old Tom Linach have been short of opportunities, but Schmidt said consistency at inside back was key after Hunter Paisami suffered an injury last month that ruled him out of the tournament.
“I think you’re right, it’s continuity,” Schmidt said. “Hunter Paisami got injured, Hamish Stewart came in and I thought Hamish did very well, but when you change 10s, go from Nick (White) to Jake (Gordon) with the nine, it starts to get a little bit fragmented.
“We just wanted to maintain some continuity and build the confidence that Noah was starting to build.”
Former Wallaby pundit Morgan Turinui said while Loresio may be the captain, it was important to understand the team he was leading was playing a very different style to what had been seen previously under Schmidt.
“Now we’re talking about the situation with Noah Loresio,” Turinui told Stan Sports.
“The Brumbies play very differently to the Wallabies.
“What was great was being able to see the next phase of Joe Schmidt’s plan in the second half and seeing Noah’s position in it. I loved how he cracked open the game from his own 22-yard line as the game went on. It was a really positive second half and hopefully they can make a leap forward.”
Meanwhile, the Wallabies will be without Isaac Cailea for their second Test of the tour against Argentina next weekend.
The rookie suffered a concussion, which ultimately led to the Waratahs’ frontrunner being sent home.
James Sleeper is expected to return to the Wallabies squad next weekend, while Reds tighthead prop Jane Nongor has flown to Argentina.