Son of legendary Wallaby set for shock Six Nations debut
Italy flyer Louis Lynagh in action for Harlequins.
Harlequins winger Louis Lynagh could make his Test debut for Italy against France in the Six Nations next week.
On Monday, Benetton Rugby announced that the speedster would be joining the Italian side ahead of the 2024/25 season, penning a two-year deal with the option to extend the agreement until 2027
Lynagh completed the move to the United Rugby Championship side with the aim of representing Italy, something that could happen sooner than expected.
Louis Lynagh gets Italy call-up
In fact, he could make his debut for Italy before he even moves to Benetton, with reports in Italy stating that he has been called up to Gonzalo Quesada’s Six Nations squad, with confirmation expected later today.
The Azzurri are preparing to face France in the third round of the Six Nations at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.
The 23-year-old winger was called up to the England squad under former head coach Eddie Jones but failed to win a cap for the Red Rose and has been overlooked by Steve Borthwick.
Born in Treviso, Louis is the son of Wallabies legend Michael, who played for Benetton in the 1990s. The Quins winger qualifies for Italy, Australia and England but looks set on representing the Azzurri.
According to Italian publication il mattino, Lynagh has been on Italy’s radar for some time but rejected the advances of former head coaches Franco Smith and Kieran Crowley.
He now looks set to make a potential Test debut against France on Sunday, February 25.
Despite his youth, Lynagh has already proven his pedigree, scoring 28 tries in 56 appearances with Harlequins and was particularly impressive in their title-winning season in 2021.
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Brothers might follow
The report adds that Italy is also monitoring Louis’ younger brothers, Tom (19) and Niccolo (15), as future talents for the Azzurri – all three brothers were born in Italy.
Tom has already made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds and has been tipped for a bright future, with him and Niccolo also being monitored by English clubs.
Italy ran England close in their first game under new head coach Quesada, falling to a narrow 24-27 defeat to England in round one of the Six Nations.
However, they were soundly beaten 36-0 in their round two clash against Ireland and will be eager to bounce back quickly.
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