Louis Lynagh (born 3 December 2000) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for United Rugby Championship club Benetton Rugby.[2] Born in Italy, he qualified for England on residency grounds and represented them at age grade levels, before choosing to represent the country of his birth at senior level, making his debut for Italy on 9 March 2024.[3][4][5]
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| Birth name | Louis Lynagh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 December 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Treviso, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hampton School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Michael Lynagh (father) Tom Lynagh (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editLynagh was born in Treviso, Italy to an Italian mother and former Australian rugby player Michael Lynagh.[3] At the age of four he moved with his family to England where he began playing mini rugby at Richmond and attended Hampton School.[3][4]
Club career
editHarlequins
editLynagh joined the academy of Harlequins at the age of thirteen.[6] In October 2020 he made his Premiership debut against Leicester Tigers and later that season scored a try during Harlequins 43–36 defeat of Bristol Bears in the semi-final, a game in which Quins recovered from 28 points down to win.[6][7] The following weekend on 26 June 2021 Lynagh scored two late tries as Quins defeated defending champions Exeter Chiefs 40-38 in the final at Twickenham to win their first Premiership title for nine years.[6][8]
In January 2024, although not originally named in the match day squad, Lynagh started on the bench for Harlequins in their Champions Cup pool stage fixture against Ulster because Cameron Anderson was injured. An HIA replacement for Oscar Beard meant he came off the bench early in the game. Lynagh went on to win man of the match after scoring two tries from Ulster mistakes as they won 47-19.[9] During the same European campaign, he was part of the side that defeated Glasgow Warriors 28-24 at home in the Round of 16, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the competition.[10] He started in their semi-final elimination against Toulouse.[11][1]
Benetton
editLynagh signed with Italian United Rugby Championship club Benetton a two-year contract from the 2024–25 season, with option until 2027.[12] He made his debut in Round 1 of United Rugby Championship in the 2024–25 season against the Scarlets.[13]
International career
editLynagh represented the England under-16 team and in the summer of 2018 was a member of the England U18 side that toured South Africa.[4][14] In September 2021 Lynagh received his first call-up to the senior England squad by coach Eddie Jones for a training camp.[15]
Despite previously being called into an England training camp, Lynagh was not capped. In February 2024, he received a call up to the Italy squad by head coach Gonzalo Quesada for the 2024 Six Nations following the announcement of his move to Benetton at the end of the season.[16] On 9 March 2024, he was named on the wing in the starting side, scoring a try on his debut against Scotland in a game that Italy won 31-29.[5][17] The following match Lynagh went two wins from two as Italy beat Wales 24-21 at the Millennium Stadium. It was the first time since 2013 that Italy had achieved at least two wins from a Six Nations tournament.[18]
Career statistics
editList of international tries
edit| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 March 2024 | Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy |  Scotland
|
21–22 | 31–29 | 2024 Six Nations Championship | [17] |
| 2 | 5 July 2024 | Apia Park, Apia, Samoa |  Samoa
|
13–7 | 25–33 | 2024 mid-year rugby union tests | [20] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Harlequins - Team Info". Global Sports Archive. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "LOUIS LYNAGH È IL PRIMO ACQUISTO DEI LEONI PER LA STAGIONE 2024/2025". 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Godwin, Hugh (21 September 2021). "Louis Lynagh, son of Aussie legend Michael, named in England squad after international tug of war". The I. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Mockford, Sarah (5 January 2021). "Hotshot: Harlequins full-back Louis Lynagh". Rugby World. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ a b Raisey, Josh (7 March 2024). "Louis Lynagh set for debut as Italy make three changes for Scotland". RugbyPass. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Louis Lynagh: Harlequins Premiership final hero has 'massive future'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Harby, Chris (19 June 2021). "Premiership semi-final: Bristol Bears 36-43 Harlequins (AET) - Quins reach Twickenham after stunning fightback". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Premiership final: Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins - Louis Lynagh's late double clinches title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ Gault, Matt (20 January 2024). "Investec Champions Cup: Harlequins 47-19 Ulster - Ulster knocked out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ O'Neill, George (5 April 2024). "Harlequins edge Glasgow in thriller to reach Champions Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Mann, Mantej (5 May 2024). "Toulouse battle past Quins to reach Champions Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "LOUIS LYNAGH È IL PRIMO ACQUISTO DEI LEONI PER LA STAGIONE 2024/2025". 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ "A MONIGO I LEONI DEBUTTANO PAREGGIANDO 20-20 CONTRO GLI SCARLETS". 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ Lawton, Andrew (11 August 2018). "England defeated by France in U18 International series opener". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Jones, Chris (21 September 2021). "Louis Lynagh called up by England - Billy & Mako Vunipola plus George Ford left out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Louis Lynagh: Italy call up Harlequins wing to Six Nations training squad". BBC Sport. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ a b Calvert, Lee (9 March 2024). "Italy 31-29 Scotland: Six Nations 2024 – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Griffiths, Gareth (16 March 2024). "Six Nations 2024: Wales 21-24 Italy - visitors consign Wales to first Wooden Spoon in 21 years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Louis Lynagh". ESPN. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Samoa 33-25 Italy". Sky Sports. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.