Wallabies to attack Los Pumas with the boot?
SPOTLIGHT: Noah Lolesio is fine-tuning his short kicking game as the Wallabies prepare to attack Argentina by foot in Buenos Aires.
Australia will play back-to-back Tests against Los Pumas in the next fortnight, starting in the nation's capital on Saturday.
In a touring party that includes Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson, the 24-year-old has emerged as the new coach's first-choice playmaker after not playing a Test last year and slowly falling down the pecking order after his 2020 debut.
The jury remains out after tight wins against Wales and Georgia were countered by comprehensive back-to-back defeats to world champions South Africa.
Against the Springboks, the Wallabies were scoreless with Lolesio on the park in a 7-33 Brisbane loss and unable to score a try in a 12-30 Perth loss that followed a week later.
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He said their offence was a work in progress and that Schmidt's desire to attack with short kicks had left him sharpening a new set of tools.
"Joe's a really big fan of the short kicking game so that's a bit of an adjustment and something I'm developing really hard, to manipulate the defence with ball on foot," he said.
"Instead of going contestable, or work our way into territory [with long kicks], it's more attacking, low, flat cross-field kicks.
"We tried to do it a few times in the second Test [against the Springboks]. Some we got good pay, some we didn't execute.
"I've been working really hard on that and it's the adjustment on how Joe wants to play."
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Lolesio was not part of former coach Eddie Jones' World Cup plans, instead playing for Toulon in a French rugby stint that sparked arguably his best season for the Brumbies.
He finished second for points (150) and goal-kicking percentage (85 percent) behind Damian McKenzie and fifth for try assists (seven), the most by a flyhalf, as the Brumbies were again Australia's best-performed team.
"Playing flyhalf for the Wallabies is up there, pressure-wise," he said.
"What I've gotten right this year is getting away from footy as well.
"Refresh, fill the tank. The last few years I've put a lot of pressure on myself, as young 10s do.
"I've gone with that approach that rugby's what I do, it's not who I am.
"But when I'm in, I'm all in and when I'm away I really try to switch off.
"I know we need to be better and hopefully these next few weeks we can show that improvement."