1
Harlequins statement: Louis Lynagh to Benetton Rugby confirmed
By PA
Harlequins wing Louis Lynagh will join Benetton Rugby next season with the aim of representing Italy - as exclusively reported by RugbyPass last Wednesday.
Lynagh, the Treviso-born son of Australia great Michael who also played for the Italian club in the 1990s, has signed a two-year deal with the option to extend the agreement until 2027.
The 23-year-old was called up by England under Eddie Jones but failed to win a cap and has been overlooked completely by Steve Borthwick since he took over in December 2022.
“It’s been a difficult decision to leave my boyhood club but I feel the time is right for a new challenge in Italy,” Lynagh said.
“I have lived in England since I was four-years-old, but Italy and Treviso have always been in my heart.
“My father played a fundamental role not only in my rugby career, but also in my life. He always wanted the best for me and always agreed with every decision I made.
“He told me that playing in Treviso will be the best for me and my style of rugby.”
Lynagh has made 58 appearances for Harlequins and scored 27 tries, including two in the triumphant 2021 Gallagher Premiership final against Bristol.
Benetton are riding high in the United Rugby Championship with only Leinster above them in the table.
A club statement read: "Harlequins have today confirmed wing Louis Lynagh will depart the Club at the end of the season to pursue his international aspirations in Italy."
Quins DoR Billy Millard said: “Louis has been a pleasure to work with and we have been proud to see him develop from our Academy to the first-team squad. He has certainly had some great moments in his short career to date and is a popular figure across the Club. His 2020/21 season in particular showcased his ability and try-scoring strength. We’re excited to watch his career develop further at Benetton and potentially for Italy. We wish him the very best as he seeks to build his career in Italy.”
additional reporting RugbyPass
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Paddy Jackson's second season at Lyon is all but over – report
3
Jake White: Marcus Smith was lucky to stay on for 60 minutes
4
Former Bok boss Allister Coetzee replaced by legend as head of Namibia
5
Latest Comments
Everything's a work in progress. But yes, the triple threat, needs reviving.
Ma'a benefitted from having legends around him, this team is virtually rebuilding from the floor. JB has lost Mounga & Smith & we have yet to nail in a 9 or 10 for him to consistently "kick, pass, run" outside of. Wasn't the ENG test the first he & BB have played 10/12 combo?
Also, the process to embed Jordan at 15 is barely underway. This will be his jersey under Razor as it was for the Crusaders. One obvious benefit is it allows the dual threats of Telea/Clarke to join him onfield.
Much has been made about JB going to 12 in 2022 but 12/13 has always been his "preferred position". His words back in 2015.
He played 12/13 for for Lincoln Uni Club interchangeable with Jack Goodhue in 2015/16. Both teens were targeted as the next Crusaders' midfield.
Razor selected JB as a 10/12 for NZU20 in 2016 & as a "2nd 5/8th" for Canterbury, the same year. In 2017, JB turned down the Crusaders for the Canes, where he became a 15, wing, wherever they needed him.
It's no secret that Foster was reluctant to play JB at 12 even saying in media that he's "not a 12". After selection he justified it through injuries. I suspect JB will be Razor's man at 12 for full tenure.
Go to commentsJake - thanks for the analysis. Agree.
Also would say that England have built a very aggressive defensive system, which is likely to keep opponents to low scores, especially as they settle into it. The NZ tries were well executed, and it is going to take that to create scoring chances against this England team. We will no doubt see more of that when the Boks go up against them.
But the overriding message for me is that they could not execute on the basics in the last quarter. Whether or not England should have been in that position, the fact is that they were positioned to win and could not do the basics well enough to close it out. The reason I find that really problematic is that this is exactly what I thought Borthwick was all about - that he was not targeting the flashy stuff (at least not yet), and was really putting in place a core that could be built on going forward.
Unfortunately what we saw was a team that was clearly unable to raise their game enough to win the arm wrestle in the last few minutes. That feels like a coaching miss.
Go to comments