logo
How a Wallabies great forged a global union as Lynagh battle looms

How a Wallabies great forged a global union as Lynagh battle looms

The Age5 days ago
Fresh off his maiden starting appearance in Wallabies colours in defeat to the British and Irish Lions, Tom Lynagh will be bracing for a future in which he is pitted against his brother.
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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Finals beckon, but Suns keep their Witts about them
Finals beckon, but Suns keep their Witts about them

Perth Now

time42 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

Finals beckon, but Suns keep their Witts about them

Jarrod Witts' rucking wares are being heralded as All-Australian worthy, while Gold Coast, in reach of a top-four finish, keep their feet in new AFL territory. The Suns' historic 66-point QClash victory on Saturday gave them, with five regular-season games to play, a club-best 12th win this season. Four of those games come against teams not in finals contention, leaving the Suns in the hunt for a top-four finish in what would be their maiden post-season foray. Witts, two games shy of his 200th AFL game, has been critical in that run. The 32-year-old helped turn the screws against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday as the Suns' midfield upstaged the Lions' for their biggest QClash win. Unprompted, Hardwick launched a campaign for the ruckman post-game. "Can I make a statement about Jarrod Witts? Can we start having a conversation?" he posed when asked about the performance of Witts' star on-ballers Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson. "I watched TV the other day, they had a list of ruckmen that are in the mix. Go and have a look at what our guy's done to all those guys." Before Saturday, Witts had collected the seventh-most coaches' votes of all ruckmen, his 26 dwarfed by leaders Brodie Grundy (65) and Max Gawn (59). "Have the conversation about how good this guy's become,": Hardwick said. "These guys (Suns midfielders) should be buying him coffee every day. Unbelievable. "I'd love to have him as All-Australian … I wouldn't pick another one." The Suns play Richmond, Carlton, GWS, Essendon and Port Adelaide in the run to a potential first finals campaign. Only the Giants are a shot of joining them, although emotion will be high when the Power play their final game under long-time mentor Ken Hinkley. "It is every side's challenge, isn't it," Hardwick said. "The sides we are talking about, they are going to have their moments and they are going to play well. "At various stages we haven't beaten those sides we should have beaten and that is going to be our next challenge. "If we concentrate firmly on the next shift, where our feet are right now, we are going to be OK."

Lions still hungry after series win over Wallabies
Lions still hungry after series win over Wallabies

Perth Now

time42 minutes ago

  • Perth Now

Lions still hungry after series win over Wallabies

The jubilant British and Irish Lions will only take one night to celebrate before setting their sights on their first 3-0 clean sweep in more than 100 years against the Wallabies. The Lions showed their courage to claw their way back from an 18-point deficit to deny the Wallabies at the MCG, with fullback Hugo Keenan scoring in the final minute to snatch a 29-26 victory. After winning the first match 27-19 in Brisbane, the men in red will be presented with the Tom Richards Cup in Sydney following the third Test. Coach Andy Farrell said it was a fairytale victory. "This is a dream for everyone in our dressing room," he said. "These lads have dreamed of being a British and Irish Lion all their lives and to get to the point where we come to the MCG, 90,000 people, with a dramatic finish like that to win the series, is what dreams are made of and no-one can deny that for us now,. "We are absolutely delighted that we showed the courage of what it takes to be a Lion." The last time the Lions won a series 3-0 was in 1904 and skipper Maro Itoje said that remained the target, with the side also unbeaten in tour games. "I think the first time we met, Big Faz (Farrell) made the call, he wants us to go out here and win everything," the lock said. "Don't get me wrong, absolutely delighted with the result tonight, but we want to go again next week. "This will live long in the memory - often in sport, you have to move on to the next thing, focus on the next challenge, and no doubt we will do that after tonight's celebration." Farrell said that despite already wrapping up the series he wouldn't change the squad's approach for the third and final match. "No, the plan will stay the same - win or lose we trust the plan ahead," the Ireland coach said. "We'll make sure that we enjoy tonight, that's for sure, because we've just made a bit of history, so we're delighted with that."

Piastri rues 'disappointing' error as Norris takes pole
Piastri rues 'disappointing' error as Norris takes pole

Perth Now

time2 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Piastri rues 'disappointing' error as Norris takes pole

Australia's Oscar Piastri has been left regretting a qualifying slip that has helped put McLaren teammate and world championship arch-rival Lando Norris on pole for the Belgian Grand Prix. The pair are gearing up for another classic wet weather battle after the dominating qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps. Norris set the fastest time early on in the final session on Saturday to grab pole position for Sunday's race. Piastri could not quite beat it on his final run, finishing 0.085 seconds behind his British teammate. Piastri has a nine-point lead at the top of the world championship standings but is under increasingly intense pressure from in-form Norris, who is aiming for his third straight grand prix race victory. Piastri had been quickest in Friday practice and sprint qualifying but found Norris had stepped things up the following day. Piastri said: "The second lap was coming together really well and I just made a little mistake in (turn) 14. It is fine margins out there. "Not a bad place to be starting, but there was more in it so that is disappointing." Norris said: "The car has been been flying all weekend, Oscar has been doing a good job all weekend, so we're pushing each other a lot. "It's tough because you see where your strengths and weaknesses are easily and you learn from each other quickly. It's a good but tough battle that we have at the minute." Rain is forecast for Sunday, raising the prospect of another wet-weather shoot-out between the two McLarens after Norris came out on top in a thriller at his home race at Silverstone last time out. Norris said it could be a "Silverstone-esque" race, hinting at difficult driving conditions and possible chaos if parts of the circuit, the longest on the F1 calendar, get a drenching while other sections remain dry. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third fastest and Dutchman Max Verstappen, who won the sprint race a few hours before qualifying, passing Piastri on the straight of the first lap, was fourth in the Red Bull. Alex Albon was fifth quickest in the Williams ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell. Lewis Hamilton's disappointing weekend continued with 16th place in qualifying after his best lap time was ruled out because he'd strayed off track. The day before, the Ferrari driver was 18th in qualifying for the sprint race following a spin. Piastri took seven points and Norris six from the sprint, meaning the Australian extended his overall lead from eight to nine points over his team-mate heading into Sunday. But Norris's race pole - and the weather - could change all that. With agencies

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store