The 'posh lad from Richmond' steering the Wallabies against the Lions
Tom Lynagh knew the choice was going to come. Perhaps he didn't expect it to arrive so soon though.Just 17, in his final year of school and the depths of Covid lockdowns, he logged on to a video call.On the screen, on the other side of the world, were Brad Thorn and Sam Cordingley, a former All Black and Wallaby respectively.The easier choice would have been to stay in London, living in Richmond with his parents and playing at Harlequins with his older brother Louis.But Thorn and Cordingley's offer - to come to Brisbane and play for Queensland Reds - tugged at Lynagh.
Moving abroad would put on ice any ambitions to play for England. Italy, who he also qualified for and who Louis now represents, would be tricky given the logistics.All Lynagh's chips would be on Aussie green and gold.On Saturday, five years on from that video call, they pay out as he starts for Australia against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane."We all sat down, he thought about it, spoke to all the relevant parties and made a sensible, mature and informed decision," says Paul Burke, former Ireland and Harlequins fly-half and Lynagh's director of rugby at Epsom College."He understood that his talent was recognised over here and that he had opportunities to stay in England, but he went with his heart, with what he wanted."It was a huge step out of his comfort zone, without his mum and dad, staying with his grandparents and establishing himself in a new environment."Lynagh travelled down under with baggage. His father Michael is a 24-carat, 72-cap Wallaby legend. Like Tom, he played fly-half. Michael was an ever-present on the touchlines of Tom's school matches, quietly watching and supporting.But it was an attitude, as much as inherited attributes, that marked Lynagh junior out to Burke."From the outset he was extremely talented," Burke adds. "He was always going to be destined for greatness."He was a fantastic cricketer, an excellent footballer and a sublime rugby player."His functional movement and ability to read a game were very natural, but most of all it was his character and attitude."I said to him when he was leaving that it would hold him in good stead."
The pale kid with a big name and a small frame certainly confounded expectations on arrival in Australia."Defensively he is tough," says Jon Fisher, assistant coach at Queensland Reds."You might think this is the posh lad from Richmond, but he is tough"The beauty about Tommy is he is very composed, I wouldn't say laid back - because that probably has connotations that are unfair, but he is very measured."Every time we have played games of significance against the Kiwi teams, Tommy has controlled field position."He has got a hell of a boot, he is a running threat. I think he is ready."
No-one knows for sure though.Initially behind James O'Connor - a key figure in the 2013 series against the Lions - Lynagh made his debut for the Reds in February 2023.This year, he has shown more with ball in hand, crossing for four tries in 13 games.But his Test experience is scant.Lynagh has three appearances off the bench for the Wallabies, adding up to a total of an hour of international game time.Had first-choice Wallaby fly-half Noah Lolesio not suffered a neck injury a fortnight ago, the 22-year-old probably wouldn't even have made Saturday's matchday 23.Opposite him at 10 for the tourists on Saturday will be Finn Russell. A decade older, Russell's whole career has been building to his match.By contrast, Lynagh's has only just begun.Australia coach Joe Schmidt admits it is "not ideal" for Lynagh's first Test start to come on such an elevated stage."It may be he has to learn quickly," Schmidt said.Crash courses can turn into train wrecks.But Lynagh - produced in England and polished in Queensland - has proved to be a smart student everywhere he has been so far.
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