Brumbies playmaker Noah Lolesio isn’t giving up his Wallabies spot without a fight, putting on a defiant display against would-be usurper Carter Gordon in front of Australia coach Eddie Jones on Sunday.
Snubbed by Jones in the Wallabies’ coach’s first squad of the season last month, Lolesio turned up in Melbourne with a point to prove and his fury front and centre, leading the Brumbies to a 33-26 win over the Rebels at AAMI Park.
The 17-Test five-eighth scored his side’s first two tries, running a superb support line to fullback Tom Wright before taking the ball and scoring his second. He appeared to shout “Carter Gordon?” at the stands – and for anyone watching – after getting back to his feet.
Lolesio owned the gesture, telling Stan Sport commentator Drew Mitchell at half-time that there was extra emotion in the game for him.
“It’s a bit personal, this game, but I’ll keep it on the field,” he said.
Lolesio’s teammate Tom Wright, player of the match on Sunday, joked his No.10 was always looking for the corner cameras.
“It’s personal”: Noah Lolesio scores against the Rebels at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Sunday. Credit: Getty
“I see him in warm-up, always looking for the corner cams, making sure they’re looking at him,” Wright said.
“It’s good competition, we’d rather be talking about guys pushing for spots than not putting their hand up. It’s awesome for the game.
“I think both of them played exceptionally, they were probably the two best players on the field, to be fair, for either side.
“Noah flattening up really early in the game, scoring his own meat pie [try] there. He hasn’t been pushing up into that space early in the season and today he took the cuffs off and was playing right at the line. It was awesome for us.”
Lolesio wasn’t the only one targeting Gordon, the Rebels No.10 enduring a torrid test at first receiver, best encapsulated in a crunching tackle from Brumbies centre Tamati Tua that left Gordon with a bloodied lip.
Gordon was the bolter in Jones’s April camp, joining Ben Donaldson at Sanctuary Cove in the first meeting of the new Wallabies regime.
He has been singled out for praise by Jones and has been a tough, hard-running playmaker for Melbourne this season. He was on fire again on Sunday, tough in defence and flat on attack, sending a bullet to Lachie Anderson for the winger’s second-half try and snatching up an errant pass to score in the 71st minute and keep his team in the hunt.
The scenes would have been a sight for sore eyes to Jones, who was in the AAMI Park stands along with his Wallabies assistants.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, centre, at AAMI Park with assistants David Rath (second from right) and Brett Hodgson (right).Credit: Getty
Jones has made no secret of wanting his players to show him what they’re made of, including challenging each other to bring out their best.
He would have been delighted to see two youngsters taking the message to heart. Lolesio was fired up after missing the cut in April, while Gordon showed no signs of going into his shell despite the relentless pressure.
“He’s copped a beating out there and he doesn’t look like he’s going to shirk it,” Stan commentator Stephen Hoiles said at half-time.
The two sides were tit-for-tat in the first half, the Brumbies going into the sheds leading three tries to two for a 21-14 scoreline.
Wallabies contender: Carter Gordon scores in the second half in Melbourne.Credit: Getty
Gordon’s try narrowed the gap to 33-26 and the Rebels were camped down in the Brumbies’ 22-metre zone, but staunch defence held off the home side for a gritty win.
“It’s tough coming down to Melbourne, they start real fast and they showed it today,” Brumbies centre Len Ikitau said. “[We] almost lost it for the boys but happy to get the win.”
Gordon and Lolesio are both Brisbane-raised playmakers, rising through the ranks at the same time and only a year apart in age.
Gordon attended Brisbane Boys’ College, the same school as former Test players Darcy Swain, Tom Banks, Will Genia and James Horwill, while Lolesio was a product of The Southport School, another rugby nursery that produced players James Slipper, Scott Higginbotham, Mat Rogers and Nathan Sharpe.
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