The 28-year-old kicked 15 points to add to his 14 on debut against Samoa last weekend but his kicking display could not prevent the Azzurri falling to a 20-18 defeat to Argentina in Genoa.
Yet Brunel was heartened by Haimona's performance as the New Zealand-born player made some exciting surges with ball in hand to complement his prowess with the boot.
And with Haimona demonstrating that he can transfer his GUINNESS PRO12 form to the international arena, Brunel is growing in confidence that he has found a long-term option in the fly-half role.
"Haimona played a lot differently from last week in Ascoli against Samoa but was very positive," said Brunel.
"For me it's a confirmation and shows that against Samoa wasn't an accident and he also kicked with a better rate than in his performance last week.
"Last week with Samoa we were practical and effective but more than Argentina winning this game, we lost it.
"We just weren't efficient enough during a couple of occasions in the second half and we made the mistakes that led to their two tries.
"We were lacking in effectiveness, not taking advantage of the chance we created and that made a difference."
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