At just 22 years old, Lolesio is viewed as the future of Australian rugby, a player with the potential to lead the side to considerable success in the years to come.

The Brumbies playmaker has dipped his toe into the international arena over the past few seasons, playing eight Tests in the gold jumper.

Lolesio is one of three flyhalves in the Wallabies squad, O'Connor and Quade Cooper also in the frame to fill the role in the first Test against England on July 2.

Having made his Wallabies debut at 18, O'Connor knows a few things about carrying the weight of expectation at such a young age and he's confident Lolesio won't make the same mistakes he made early in his career.

"He's got great fundamentals already," O'Connor said. "Noah's been playing 10 since he's come into Super Rugby. He's got good fundamentals, he's got great coaches down there in Canberra and also being around someone like Quade, who's been in that position for 10-15 years and myself (will help him).

"You're competing and on the run you're teaching each other, learning from each other. It's all about our one team, how we're going to perform as a group.

"You want to make him stronger and he's going to in turn make me stronger with the competition on the training field. We'll be pushing each other to reach new heights, so in terms of his development, he's in good hands."

O'Connor missed the back end of the Super Rugby season with a hamstring injury, however he declared himself fully fit for the series.

Cooper has flown in from Japan, having led Kintetsu to the Japanese Division Two title and is favoured to win the race for the No.10 jumper.

Should Lolesio earn the start, it will set the stage for a battle between two of the most promising playmakers in world rugby.

Likely to fill the flyhalf role for England is 23-year-old Marcus Smith, the youngster leading his side past the Wallabies last November.

While Smith has ridden the highs and lows on the field, O'Connor has been impressed with the way he's handled the pressure in the Test arena.

"I think there's always pressure, it's just how you deal with it," O'Connor said. "I spoke to Marcus after the game last year and he seemed in a really good mindset and head space so I think he's coping with it really well.

"From personal experience, I had my ups and downs at that age, especially when I was put into that role at 10, leading your team around the field and knowing that you're orchestrating the attack.

"From his personal note, I wish him well, but I'd like to do a job on him."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: