Have the Wallabies found their long-term No.10 at last?
The latest is Tom Lynagh, the 22-year-old thrown in at the deepest end of international rugby in the first two Tests against the British and Irish Lions. After a pair of assured performances, the Reds star is determined to lay claim to the position but stressed he will be taking nothing for granted.
'Definitely, [I want] more time in that seat, but the jersey's only yours for the week if you're selected,' Lynagh said. 'Being selected as 10 tells you everything you need to know really [about Schmidt]. He's got trust and belief in you, so that's all I've taken from it. He's always had that confidence in me ever since I joined the camp for the first time last year.'
Dave Rennie employed the talents of James O'Connor, Noah Lolesio, Reece Hodge, Quade Cooper and Ben Donaldson during his time in charge of the Wallabies between 2020-2023.
Lolesio debuted as a 20-year-old against New Zealand in a 38-point defeat in 2020 in Sydney, and was swiftly dropped the following week for Hodge against the same opponent.
Under Eddie Jones's ill-fated tenure, Carter Gordon was another young debutant who was given a run of five consecutive starts aged 22 before being dropped after the Fiji defeat in the 2023 World Cup. He never regained the No.10 jersey, eventually deciding to move to the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans.
Unless forced by injury, Schmidt has consistently backed his playmaker, regardless of results. Lolesio started 13 out of 15 games under the New Zealander before a neck injury sustained in a warm-up fixture against Fiji ruled him out of the Lions series.
Lynagh has been nerveless since stepping into the starting role, describing the move as 'a seamless transition'. The young playmaker also showed his physical toughness in the second Test against the Lions, finishing with eight tackles and none missed.
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