Wallabies No.10 Noah Lolesio only has to look down the hotel hallway for tips on dealing with the pressure of being Australia’s key man in a Bledisloe Cup test in New Zealand.
In recent months, Lolesio leant heavily on James O’Connor, a veteran of 16 tests against the Kiwis and five of which were at Eden Park, the venue of Australia’s difficult first Bledisloe assignment on Saturday.
O’Connor has been spotted bushwalking this week in Brisbane as he recovers from a groin injury, leaving Lolesio with an unlikely new mentor: Quade Cooper.
When word filtered through two Sundays ago that Cooper was about to walk through the doors of Sanctuary Cove into Wallabies camp, Lolesio was astonished.
“It’s so sick having him here,” Lolesio told the Sydney Morning Herald from Auckland on Friday. “As soon as I found out he was coming, I thought surely not. I used to grow up watching this guy killing it in the Wallabies No.10 jersey and now he’s in camp?
“I’ve been picking his brains since. Hopefully he’s not getting too annoyed.”
Cooper, left out of Australia’s matchday 23 for this fixture, isn’t growing tired of a young wide-eyed No.10 thirsty for tips ahead of the biggest game of his life.
Coincidentally, Friday marked ten years to the day since Cooper ran out in his first test against the All Blacks at Eden Park; a 30-14 loss.
“He’s been a real positive influence,” said coach Dave Rennie of Cooper this week. “He and Noah are sitting down all the time, talking about various options.”
Lolesio and Cooper were both born in Auckland. At age three, Lolesio moved to the Gold Coast, while Cooper relocated to Brisbane as a 13-year-old.
Earlier this week, Australia’s past and present playmakers took a trip to Mount Maunganui beach. No forwards, no other backs – just Cooper and Lolesio. They grabbed a quick coffee and had an even quicker swim. The water temperature was around 14 degrees.
“It was freezing,” Lolesio said. “We were probably in there for ten seconds and then we left. “We’ve been spending heaps of time talking about footy. He’s been really good to me and very genuine. He doesn’t have to be. He’s been there, done that.”
Like the icy water in the Bay of Plenty, Eden Park has been a shock to the system for Wallabies teams in years gone by. In Cooper’s first outing there a decade ago, the Wallabies trailed 17-0 after 27 minutes.
Lolesio now gets his first chance to test himself on Kiwi soil at international level. The stadium has become synonymous with Australian near-misses, brutal defeats and a sea of black jerseys in the stands making life hell for visiting Wallabies teams.
Just ask the Wallabies sides who have suffered defeats at Eden Park in 20 straight games over the past 34 years, 11 months and two days.
“I’ve only played there once against the Blues in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman,” Lolesio said. “It’s a massive stadium. It’s unreal I get the chance to play the All Blacks tomorrow.”
Teammates sometimes catch Lolesio yawning on game day. He is a relaxed customer, yet knows how and when to flick the switch. Two years ago, Lolesio jokingly asked Brumbies coach Dan McKellar what the word pressure meant.
“That’s just the attitude he has,” McKellar said.
