How a Wallabies great forged a global union as Lynagh battle looms
The Australian five-eighth's Super Rugby Pacific outfit, the Queensland Reds, have announced a groundbreaking partnership with Italian side Benetton – the club which the 22-year-old's older sibling, Louis Lynagh, currently plays for.
Four Reds – Josh Flook, Richie Asiata, John Bryant and Louis Werchon – will leave in July for a three-month secondment, in which they will feature in Europe's United Rugby Championship.
Queensland will travel to Treviso for the first time in November 2026 when they will face-off with Benetton, opening the door for the Lynagh boys to square off, after their father – Wallabies great Michael Lynagh – won trophies at each club.
'The connection was made through Michael Lynagh,' Reds general manager of high performance Sam Cordingley said.
Loading
'Right from the start, we have felt a genuine will to create opportunities that can benefit two proud clubs and two strong brands.'
Cordingley, and Benetton general manager of rugby Antonio Pavanello, launched discussions of the partnership in January as the Australian side took part in their European tour, in which they clashed with Bristol and Ulster.
It followed contests with Wales, Tonga and Japanese franchise Saitama Wild Knights in 2024, while they also battled the Lions this month and hope to include another fixture on their Italy tour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
33 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Harrington rides his luck with Aussies in hot pursuit
Padraig Harrington is the player to catch at the Senior British Open with a posse of Australians chasing and in contention midway through the tournament at Sunningdale. The Irishman shot a five-under-par 65 to be eight-under for a one-stroke lead over a hard-charging Thomas Bjorn and defending champion KJ Choi. The Dane shot a sterling seven-under 63 to catapult into contention, while Choi posted a 67. Australian Cameron Percy fired a five-under (65) to be on the next line with Justin Leonard (65), South African Ernie Els (67) and Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina (67) at six under par. Percy eagled the par-five first on Friday before bookending a birdie at the third with bogeys on holes two and four. But he finished well with four more birdies to remain firmly in the mix. Steve Allan (67) is the next highest-placed Australian at five under, one ahead of compatriot Mark Hensby, who followed his 64 with a 72 to fall down the leaderboard at four under. Compatriot Greg Chalmers (66) is with Hensby with another six others in tied 10th at four under. Victorian Richard Green (69) and Queenslander Michael Wright (65) are a shot further back, tied 18th and five behind the lead. After his opening 63 for the overnight lead, New Zealander Steven Alker made a 73 to drop back to four under. Harrington had five birdies, including at the first and last holes, while keeping his scorecard clean of bogeys. Harrington is trying to become the fifth player to win the British Open and the Senior British Open. "I rode my luck a lot today," Harrington said. "Got my head in the game. Did a lot of good stuff mentally. Short game was sharp." "Hit some recovery shots and managed my game, but I never showed much confidence out there at all in my swing. I obviously like these 72-hole ones, and the bigger golf courses suit me." The Senior British Open is the fifth major on the PGA Tour Champions. The regular tournaments are 54 holes. Harrington won the US Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado. The Irishman has already collected two other senior major titles - the 2022 and 2025 US Senior Opens. Bjorn admitted he was "very angry" with himself over a ho-hum first round, which ended with a double bogey. Choi could have been higher up the leaderboard if not for consecutive bogeys at Nos. 16-17 taking him down a few pegs. with AP
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Why Wallabies could have the 'blueprint' to defeating British and Irish Lions in second Test
When the Wallabies watched back their defeat to the British and Irish Lions in the first Test, they could have hit the pause button after just 10 seconds to identify a key area of the match in which they were soundly beaten. Making a hit-up on the second phase following the kick-off in Brisbane last Saturday night, Wallabies loose-head prop James Slipper was abruptly halted by a stinging two-man tackle executed by Lions hooker Dan Sheehan and back-rower Tom Curry. The moment set the tone for the match, as the Lions had immediately signalled they were intent on dominating the physical contest, a key battleground in any Test. After Sheehan and Curry stopped Slipper in his tracks, the Lions imposed themselves again by winning a defensive breakdown penalty in the next phase, from which they established a 3-0 advantage on the scoreboard in the second minute of play. The Lions enjoyed a 24-5 lead soon after half-time, and despite a spirited Wallabies' fightback, the tourists completed a comfortable 27-19 victory, with the final scoreline not reflecting how dominant they were in the series opener. Lions coach Andy Farrell admitted his team had room for improvement, an ominous warning ahead of Saturday night's second Test at the MCG. Having been out-muscled on both sides of the ball by the Lions, "physicality" virtually become a buzzword for the Wallabies after arriving in Melbourne. Reacting to the Wallabies' loss, coach Joe Schmidt added some world-class firepower to his forward pack in the form of back-rower Rob Valetini and lock Will Skelton. Both players were sorely missed in the first Test, having been sidelined due to calf injuries. Valetini and Skelton have the potential to provide much-needed aggression to the Wallabies' attack and defence, and have shown they can win the collisions at the Test level. "When you get two people with their presence and experience coming into your side, it always does give you confidence," Wallabies captain Harry Wilson told reporters on Friday. "They're two real leaders in the group and to have them back in such a big match is really exciting for us." There are question marks over Valetini and Skelton's match fitness, however, given they were also unavailable for the Test against Fiji in Newcastle earlier this month. It's one of the reasons Schmidt opted to select six forwards — including damaging ball-runner Langi Gleeson — on his eight-player reserves bench, wanting to maintain an aggressive template he hopes Valetini and Skelton can create for the Wallabies before they are replaced. "We want to impose ourselves physically," Wilson said. "We want to back our skills and go out there and start fast … and throw your body around, knowing there's some quality bench players to come and finish." Personnel changes can go a long way to teams upping the ante when it comes to physicality, but an attitudinal adjustment can be just as effective. The Wallabies would be wise to take a leaf out of the First Nations and Pasifika XV's playbook in the wake of their performance against the Lions in Melbourne last Tuesday night. It wasn't a mistake-free display from the First Nations and Pasifika XV, who trailed 14-0 early, conceded 12 line breaks and gave away 13 penalties to the Lions' eight during the 80 minutes. But they stuck to their pre-match plan of being aggressive in attack and defence to rattle the Lions, who were forced to cling on during the final 10 minutes before prevailing 24-19 at the Docklands stadium. Such was the physical presence of the First Nations and Pasifika XV, their captain Kurtley Beale believed they showed the Lions can be vulnerable. "You need to take it (physicality) to them," said Beale, who has appeared in 95 Tests for the Wallabies. "There were patches there where we had the momentum and the Lions were kind of taking a backfoot step, and I think that created opportunities for us. "These boys (First Nations and Pasifika XV), they love the physicality. You need the physicality to lay the platform for your backs to play off." The First Nations and Pasifika XV's effort didn't go unnoticed by the Wallabies. "Just seeing the way they went after them (Lions) with the line speed, the big hits in defence," Wilson said. "It was a great blueprint there about how really to try to physically dominate them." Defence is said to be built on attitude and mindset, so the Wallabies have had plenty to think about in the past week. They also don't need a reminder about what's at stake when both teams run out on the MCG in front of a crowd that may exceed 90,000 spectators. "There is no denying — we've got to go out here, we have to win," Wilson said. "We've got to win the next two (Tests) to win the series."
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Raducanu downs Sakkari to reach last four in DC
Emma Raducanu has booked her place in the semi-final of the Washington Open for the first-time with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Greece's Maria Sakkari. The victory, on a day where both players had to battle high temperatures, means Raducanu will overtake Aussie star Alex de Minau's partner Katie Boulter as British No.1 on Monday. After losing the opening game, Raducanu dropped serve in a long second but managed to break straight back. The 22-year-old broke again to make it 4-3 courtesy of a scuffed dropped-volley effort by Sakkari, who fought back once more following another double fault by the Briton. After getting her nose in front again, Raducanu held her serve to take the opening set 6-4. The 22-year-old was looking to continue her impressive streak over the Greek player on her 30th birthday but Sakkari - who beat Boulter earlier in the competition - took a 4-2 lead in the second set. Temperatures of up to 36 degrees took their toll as a physio was called onto the court to check on the 2021 US Open winner. However, the break in play reinvigorated Raducanu - who overcame four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka on Thursday - and she won five successive games to book her slot in the final four in two hours and 10 minutes. "I think my confidence has been building since Miami," she told the WTA. "The amount of work I'm doing behind the scenes, to have that in the locker and banked, you know you've done it, it takes a little pressure off the results." Raducanu will face either fourth seed Clara Tauson or Anna Kalinskaya for a place in the final.
