Noah Lolesio endured a difficult night on the tee for the Wallabies. Photo / Getty
Noah Lolesio endured a difficult night on the tee for the Wallabies. Photo / Getty
Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie has backed Noah Lolesio after his first-five missed five shots at goal in a close defeat by the All Blacks at Eden Park tonight.
Lolesio kicked only two from seven attempts which meant 12 points went begging in the 33-25 loss in the first ofback-to-back Bledisloe Cup tests at the All Blacks' fortress.
The Wallabies matched the All Blacks in terms of tries scored – four each – and the visitors, who won a series against France in Australia last month, finished the stronger of the two teams by scoring three tries in the final 12 minutes. Fullback Tom Banks scored a double in six minutes.
The goalkicking proved to be a major factor but Rennie is unlikely to push the panic button as he continues to try to find a way for Australia to break what is now a 35-year drought at Eden Park against the All Blacks.
"He was sensational in the French series," Rennie said of Lolesio. "You don't go from being an ace goalkicker to a novice overnight. Tough conditions - you saw Richie [Mo'unga] miss a few as well. He kicked his penalties in the French series to win the first and third test and it should have won us the second one as well. He'll be disappointed."
Asked if he could guarantee Lolesio would start at Eden Park next Saturday, Rennie replied: "We'll tell you on Thursday.
"We've got a lot of faith in the kid. He was excellent against France and he's going to get better and better. He's 21. There are a lot of young men around him as well."
Skipper Michael Hooper said the Wallabies would pick up Lolesio "as a team".
"That's the great thing about our sport," Hooper added. "He's a confident kid. Like Dave said, his boot guided us to a series win [against France]. There will be nights like that for a goalkicker and he'll learn from it for sure."
After watching his side compete well against the All Blacks in nearly all facets, Rennie said his team wouldn't be daunted by next week's test at a venue where the All Blacks haven't lost since 1994. Another defeat would see the All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup once more ahead of the return fixture in Perth on August 28.
Noah Lolesio endured a difficult night on the tee for the Wallabies. Photo / Getty
"There's all this talk about Eden Park and how tough it is to win here," Rennie said. "Our mindset is we're going to get two cracks at it for a start so we've got to embrace that. And what happened historically counts for nothing today. We've got a lot of young men who aren't battle scarred by the past so they aren't too concerned about what Eden Park represents, just get out there and play. We're excited about getting another crack next week."
He said he was pleased with the impact off the reserves bench, with prop Taniela 'Tongan Thor' Tupou prominent as usual.
Hooper agreed the character was there.
"We've been a team that finishes strong so far this year which is really pleasing," he said. "We showed a lot of heart. We put them under a heap of pressure there at the end… we just have to do it for longer."
Rennie also paid credit to All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith on the occasion of his 100th test.
"He's been phenomenal, hasn't he? The quality of his pass changed the way the All Blacks play. He's a great little player for Manawatu. Credit to Nugget, he and Aaron Cruden had opportunities to play for bigger unions but they opted to stay at Manawatu. So to go from there to Super Rugby and play as many tests as he has is fantastic."
