Lynach: The England wing with an Aussie accent
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: He was born in Italy, is the son of one of Australia’s greatest rugby players, and is now set to play on the international stage for England.
Louis Lynagh was one of eight uncapped players called up to an expanded training squad by Eddie Jones on Tuesday for England’s November Test matches against Tonga, Australia and South Africa.
Lynagh is a 20-year-old wing whose father is Michael Lynagh, a brilliant flyhalf for Australia who was a World Cup winner in 1991 and has been living in England since 1996.
The junior Lynagh has come through the English rugby system to play for Harlequins, for whom he scored two tries in the Premiership final against Exeter in June to help his club become English champions.
He also impressed former Wallabies coach Jones – who has Australian and Japanese parents – by scoring two tries for Harlequins in its opening game of this season last weekend.
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“I rang him up yesterday and said, ‘Mate, you don’t sound like an Australian!'” Jones said, laughing.
“He said, ‘I know, I have to work on my Australian accent a bit!’
“I played against his father – his father was obviously a brilliant player – and he has got some of those characteristics.
“He has that strength around his hips to drive through tacklers. It’s a good opportunity for him.”
Lynagh, who is also eligible to play for Italy though his mother, will be part of a three-day, 45-man training camp that gathers in south-west London from Sunday.
The selections from Jones, with an eye on the 2023 World Cup in France, could spell the end of the international careers for a quartet of senior players.
To launch the final phase of his scheduled eight-year stewardship at Twickenham, Jones has completed his greatest purge of front-line personnel yet with Billy and Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and George Ford overlooked.
“They need to get back to their best. They probably haven’t been at their best over the last period of time, so we are giving them the opportunity to find their best,” Jones said.
“They are all good players. When they are at their best, they are going to be in strong contention. But there’s a lot of good young players coming through so the competition is hot.
“It’s two years before the World Cup. We are now selecting for the World Cup in mind.”
