Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper publicising he has "no expectations" for his young No.10 on Saturday may confuse a few people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the reasoning behind that statement explains everything.
It's because the flanker knows what Noah Lolesio is capable of in the second English Test.
"He was great last week, hey," Hooper said.
"Under those circumstances, in a No.10 jersey, I don't know when that's been served up before in a first Test match of a series, [and] first Test match for a team in quite a bit of time.
"I have no expectations for Noah. He's got high expectations for himself and he wants to live up to those, and that's what's exciting.
"He's very self-driven, he's one of those players that you let go and do your thing. So excited for him to grow on his game [on Saturday] and see where he can take it."
Lolesio was instrumental in the Wallabies' two-point win in Perth, but elsewhere on the field there are several aspects the side are looking to tighten to claim the series in Brisbane.
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
The Wallabies missed 22 tackles, and gained 101 metres less than their opponents in their win last week.
These are two areas Dave Rennie's side wants to tighten up in order to win the second Test, and retain consistency.
Hooper pointed to one area they needed to win - the collision battle - against England from the get go.
"Like any Test match, we want to improve that," the skipper said.
"We said last week after the game, the expectation for us is we need to get better, we want to get better.
"We know the English are gonna be a lot better in that area, so we're looking to better that [on Saturday] to come out on top."
ACT Brumbies lock Cadeyrn Neville and No. 8 Rob Valetini will be key drivers of the green and gold's defensive efforts.
Before their Wallabies and Super Rugby teammates James Slipper and Nick Frost will be brought on as re-enforcements to finish the job.
Another key area the Wallabies need to dominate the English in is tackling execution.
"We're looking to ... the intensity that you tackle, and starting with our defensive line, the integrity of that," Hooper said.
"Really simply, have a good integrity in your line. It allows you to be clear on who makes the tackle and then it's just about intent, and going and executing that. So we'll be doing that."
Even though the Wallabies want to apply the pressure to England, and dominate in defence, they do need to be careful.
The side conceded 13 penalties, and managed a yellow and red card to deplete their efforts in their 30-28 win.
England's niggling tactics resulted in Brumbies lock Darcy Swain's red card and subsequent two week suspension.
Hooper acknowledged it would be a challenge for the Wallabies to find a balance, and not take a backwards step.
"We've got to focus on what we can control, what we need to do on the field," he said.
"We've got plenty of roles to do on the field ... so we can't be getting sucked into that.
"It's part of the game and smarts around how you come out on top of that's important ... but it's always a factor and dealing with it in the right way's going to be a challenge."
Australia v Wallabies
- Test 2: Wallabies v England at Lang Park, Meanjin on Saturday, 7.55pm
Wallabies squad: 1. Angus Bell, 2. David Porecki, 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Matt Philip, 5. Cadeyrn Neville, 6. Rob Leota, 7. Michael Hooper (c) 8. Rob Valetini, 9. Nic White, 10. Noah Lolesio, 11. Marika Koroibete, 12. Samu Kerevi, 13. Hunter Paisami, 14. Tom Wright, 15. Jordan Petaia. Replacements: 16. Folau Fainga'a, 17. Scott Sio, 18. James Slipper, 19. Nick Frost, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Jake Gordon, 22. James O'Connor, 23. Izaia Perese.
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:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram