Being a Wallabies fly half hopeful with his surname has seen plenty of pressure already put upon his slender shoulders, but for Tom Lynagh, the twin burdens of hope and expectation are about to be ladened like never before. 36 years since father Michael seized the first match of British and Irish Lions series with a display of fly half mastery, his son will take on the tourists after earning an unlikely election to No 10.
It is hard to describe this as anything other than an exceptionally gutsy call by Joe Schmidt, the Australia head coach, for the opening Test in Brisbane. Of course, these circumstances have rather been forced upon him: Noah Lolesio’s desperately disappointing injury against Fiji has ruled him out of the series, while Carter Gordon, made king by a previous regime ahead of the 2023 World Cup, has swapped codes to the NRL. But the safer play from the Wallabies boss surely would have been to turn to Ben Donaldson after a strong Super Rugby Pacific campaign, or to James O’Connor after his surprise recall – the veteran has experience of being a surprise choice at fly half in a Lions series from 2013.
