The leading candidates for the Wallabies' No.10 jersey with Lolesio injured

The Wallabies’ preparations for the fast-approaching British and Irish Lions Test series have taken a significant hit, with chief playmaker, Noah Lolesio, sustaining a series-ending neck injury in Saturday’s tight 21-18-point win over Fiji, in Newcastle.

Whether you are a Lolesio fan or a detractor, as most fans appear to be, there is no denying that Lolesio was Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt’s guy.

He was Schmidt’s favourite No.10 by a huge margin, starting in 11 of the 13 Test matches in 2024, and despite heading to Japan at the end of the year, he started the first Test of 2025 in the coveted No.10 jersey as well.

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Whoever the pundits and supporters preferred in the jersey at the end of the day is immaterial. Schmidt backed Lolesio to the hilt, despite him being one of a group of players who are heading overseas at the end of the year, a move which technically goes against Schmidt’s ‘domestic first’ policy.

So, whether you’re a fan or a detractor, this is a significant setback to Schmidt’s plans for the Lions series; he’s lost one of his chosen men and a key game driver.

Now, while we all hope for Lolesio’s speedy and full recovery, the lens must turn to filling the gap he has left, and this may force Schmidt to break one of his chief ‘rules’ during his tenure; ‘backing the young no.10s’.

Although Schmidt has options in his current squad, calling on experienced campaigners, as the Lions have with the late addition of English Test veteran Owen Farrell, should be a course of action Schmidt seriously considers.

Even with three playmakers already in the Lions squad, coach Andy Farrell still added a fourth because he knows that in a Lions Test series, experience is king, and the squad also requires a diversity of players for their varied opponents.

This is because a Lions Test series is not about finding out who can implement a system, who can cut it at the highest level or who has the ice in their veins to block out the noise when a series is on the line, it’s about building into the three game series with players who know what it’s like, and if possible, who have done it before.

Sure, bring along the young talent, let them breathe in the moments, the pressure, and the build-up, that is likely what English youngster Fin Smith (23) will be doing when the Test series begins.

However, there is a distinct difference between the Lions’ squad requirements and their opposition, and the Wallabies. The former can carry players who play the midweek fixtures against the club and invitational sides, the latter must only carry players ready to play in the three major, brutal Test matches.

You can bet, when push comes to shove and the Test matches arrive, Andy Farrell will pick experienced players who are tried and tested.

Before highlighting who Schmidt should call on, it’s important to outline the players Schmidt already has and their attributes, to assess where he is short on certain skillsets now that Lolesio is ruled out.

Ben Donaldson is a 16-Test player who has the best running game of any of the No.10s in Australia. He has a sizeable boot and has been an accurate goal kicker all season for the Western Force.

One of his key work-ons is staying in games, something which he did much better this season for the Force, but it’s still something which tends to creep into his game. Against the Lions, there is no guarantee his forwards will be going forwards, and Schmidt must be able to have confidence that Donaldson will trust his own skillset when the going gets tough.

The other playmaker in Schmidt’s current squad is 22-year-old Tom Lynagh from the Queensland Reds. The two Test-cap player is a tough player who runs a system well and has a mind for territorial kicking, likely owing to his UK rugby education.

He, too, has kicked accurately off the tee for his club, but what he lacks is a Test-level running game, and he is certainly the smallest of the playmaking stocks, both height and weight-wise.

Lynagh is the better defender but has been injured more frequently, which is a concern as to whether he will make it through a full 80 minutes against a ferocious Lions team.

Donaldson offers versatility, being able to play both No.10 and fullback, while Lynagh is a five-eighth through and through.

Lynagh is more in the conductor mould, watching the opposition and waiting for the opportune moment to release his backline, but what both lack, severely in Lynagh’s instance, is experience.

They have fewer Test caps combined than Lolesio has alone, and that’s almost true for club experience as well.

This shows how much more experience, exposure, and time Lolesio has spent at the highest level, experience that Schmidt should look to replace.

Schmidt should call on an experienced player, someone who is physically tuned to take on the challenge of Test rugby, mentally still part of the domestic-based players’ psyche, and someone who is familiar with the current playing group and environment.

While many will be calling for the Japan-based ‘Ice Man’, Bernard Foley, the 76-Test veteran who won the Super Rugby title with the Waratahs in 2014, he is not the right person to bring in.

The 35-year-old has now been away from Australian rugby for three years, not having played Test rugby since 2022, and hasn’t played Super Rugby since 2019.

His selection would send all the wrong messages at every level; he’s not domestically based or playing in the domestic competition, and is considered a bit of a defensive liability.

While he’s an astute tactical thinker, he also lacks a long clearance kick, something which we have seen could put the Wallabies under pressure against a Lions side full of kickers with raking and accurate boots.

Schmidt should instead turn to James O’Connor, who hoisted the Super Rugby Pacific trophy with the Crusaders this year and was an excellent foil for their young playmakers.

He came on almost every week and closed out games and lent a steadying hand when games were in the balance.

Although he is not as quick as he once was, the 32-year-old has proven this season that he still has some running in him and is ready to physically front any opposition.

O’Connor has also played with almost half of the current squad, who are almost all likely to make up the bulk of Schmidt’s new squad for the Lions Test series.

However, the most obvious reason to bring him into the environment is that he has an asset that only he has among the available playmakers; he has played the Lions before, in 2013.

He was there when Kurtley Beale slipped and missed the crucial goal; he knows what the roar of the crowd sounds like, he knows how these northern hemisphere game drivers think.

While there are other options, O’Connor is a known commodity; he is fit and firing and has a working relationship with many of the players likely to be selected by Schmidt on Friday afternoon.

His would-be late addition means his existing connections with players could prove to be game-changing, and while he shouldn’t necessarily start, he should carry on the role he held at the Crusaders, closing out games the young no.10s have started.

Now all that remains to be seen is if Schmidt does indeed break one of his key selection ‘rules’ and picks the older statesmen, when the Wallabies squad for the Lions series is released on Friday at 1:45 pm.