By Iain Payten
A standout Super Rugby season has Tom Lynagh positioned as a leading contender to wear the Wallabies No.10 jersey for the upcoming British and Irish Lions series.
The job is not one for the faint-hearted, given the immense pressure and global attention on the series.
But it turns out the 22-year-old already has experience in fronting up to the Lions’ hordes.
When he was 10, Lynagh was a youngster living in London and came to be watching the 2013 Lions tour of Australia on television, along with a couple of hundred fans going mad for the Lions.
Young Tom was not one of them.
“I remember being at my primary school at the sports field watching the second or third game,” Lynagh said. “I can’t quite remember which one it was, but we were all in this clubhouse. There was probably 300 kids and parents in there, all cheering for the Lions. And I was the only one going for Australia.”
Tom Lynagh was named man of the match in Queensland’s strong win over the Blues last month.Credit: Getty Images
Lynagh was born in Italy and grew up in England due to the work of his father – former Wallabies captain Michael Lynagh – being in London. But unlike his older brother Louis, who played for England schools and is now a member of the Italian Test side, Tom always felt an affinity for Australia. In 2021, he moved to Queensland to pursue a career with the Reds when he was 18.
Fast-forward four years and Lynagh is now on the cusp of playing for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions, 12 years after being a one-out supporter in that school hall.
Michael Lynagh kicking against the British and Irish Lions in the third Test in 1989.Credit: Jones/Fairfax Media
Lynagh debuted for the Wallabies last year and played in three Tests, but didn’t make the spring tour after struggling with injuries. The blond No.10 played for Australia A instead, but this year Lynagh has made a compelling case for selection with excellent form for the Reds.
Some pundits have Lynagh neck-and-neck with incumbent Wallabies No.10 Noah Lolesio to start against the Lions in the first Test in Brisbane on July 19. Ben Donaldson sits behind them, with Tane Edmed – the man Joe Schmidt preferred for the spring tour – having fallen behind after being used from the bench for NSW.
If Tom plays in the July series, the Lynaghs will become the first father-son duo to play for the Wallabies against the Lions, after Michael played in all three Tests of the 1989 series.
The only other family lineage to play for the Wallabies against the Lions is Tom Lawton snr (1930) and his grandson Tom Lawton, in 1989.
For his part, Tom Lynagh is still not diverting much attention beyond playing well for Queensland. But even doing that will keep boosting his chances, with the Reds’ last four games including derby clashes with Edmed and NSW, and Lolesio’s Brumbies.
Lynagh is likely to go head-to-head with Edmed on Friday in Sydney, who is set for a recall to the NSW No.10 jersey after a season mostly spent stuck behind Lawson Creighton. NSW coach Dan McKellar is set to make changes after last weekend’s heavy defeat to the Brumbies, with Dave Porecki and Charlie Gamble also slated to return from injury.
Tom Lynagh sits fourth in Super Rugby for most points, with 78.Credit: Getty Images
With four rounds left, the Tahs have to win to keep their fading finals hopes alive, and fourth-ranked Queensland need to prevail in Sydney to make sure they don’t get overtaken late.
The Reds are also coming off a last-minute loss to Fiji in Suva.
“We’re getting to the pointy end of the season now, so every game from here on in obviously means a lot in terms of where you ultimately finish up,” Lynagh said.
“Their season’s on the line too, so obviously they haven’t lost at home yet this year, so it’s going to be a big game. You can’t switch off, and you’ve just got to be ruthless in these types of games.”
Lynagh said he had benefited from consistent time in the driver’s seat this season, having started in seven of nine games.
His confidence and maturity in managing games for the Reds, particularly with the boot, have been impressive, and so too Lynagh’s toughness. Multiple sides have targeted him physically, and occasionally with foul play. But Lynagh has stood up to it.
“Obviously, if you start, you play more minutes and get more experience,” he said. “That’s the only way I’ve found I’ve developed. Just by actually playing minutes and having different scenarios.
“You learn from experiences and losses. If you don’t experience those, you’re not going to learn as quickly.
“I feel like I’m in a much better place than I was this time last year. I’ve still got a lot to improve on. But I’m happy with how things are going at the moment.”
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