Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has put the pressure on Noah Lolesio and Tom Lynagh to deliver for their respective Super Rugby sides as they press for a starting berth for the Lions series.
Lolesio and Lynagh are likely battling alongside Ben Donaldson for the flyhalf jersey as the countdown hits 50 days before the first Test in Brisbane.
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Donaldson and the Force are out of contention for the finals but the Brumbies and Reds playmakers will play a big role in the team’s title chances.
“I think the longer you stay at the crease, the more chance you've got to accumulate runs,” Schmidt told the media.
“Noah’s missed a couple of weekends and Tom’s been pretty consistent throughout…I think Tommy's a really brave player. Defensively, he does a good job. He's actually a lot better in the air than people would give him credit for and there’s a lot of aspects we like about his game.
Lolesio is heading to Japan at the end of the season but Schmidt was not going to hold that against him should he establish themselves as the clear-cut option in the next couple of weeks.
“We will always favour those guys who have committed their future right here in Australia, but it's a pinnacle event where we're also conscious if it's not a close decision, then we will look to supplement some of those guys who are playing overseas,” Schmidt notes.
Schmidt is well prepared for a ‘Red Sea’ of Lions supporters, with close to 40,000 set to come down to Australia.
The Wallabies will enter as underdogs given the nature of the team, with the best from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland coming together for the tour.
Schmidt was confident the finish to last year could give them the confidence to aspire for a rare Lions series win.
“We're certainly going to give it our best shot…The Lions is something that tends to reach beyond just the rugby union fans because it's such an infrequent tour, people just get interested and we'd love to earn the support of all those folk by being really competitive,” he said.
“I'd love to think we're in the hunt. I think some of the promising signs are the way the Wallabies finished off last year, the way the Super Rugby teams have competed this year, and so it's our challenge to try to continue that pathway.”
