Lethal Lynagh loving life in the city of his birth

Louis Lynagh. Inpho Photography

Louis Lynagh is the first to admit that leaving England behind to head for Italy was a big move but it’s one he has no regrets over.

After spending the best part of a decade with Harlequins, he headed for the city of his birth, Treviso, to join Benetton Rugby in 2024. There were some initial struggles but those are firmly behind him now.

He is the club’s leading try scorer this season, having demonstrated his lethal finishing by touching down eight times and he has also established himself in the Italian Test team.

So life is rosy as he prepares for Saturday’s big United rugby Championship clash with play-off rivals Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park and looks ahead to the Guinness Six Nations.

“It’s been very good,” says the 25-year-old winger.

“It’s a bit different to my season last year which was a bit of a weird one - my first foreign move and struggling to get to grips with that.

“It was just such a change, going from the hustle and bustle of London to Treviso which is very beautiful, but very different.

“It was new players, new ways of playing, a different attack. I had been used to one way for the better part of a decade and I had to change my way of playing. I had never done that before, I had never changed before.

“Getting injured half way through the season didn’t help.

“But, after I returned from that injury, I really took some time to work on myself physically and mentally.

“I feel like I came back an improved player and I have taken that mindset into this season.

“Now I am really loving it and feel like I have bonded really well with all my teammates and we are playing some really good stuff. So, no regrets at all.”

Lynagh was born in Italy while his dad, Wallaby great Michael, was playing for Treviso and he spent the first five years of his life there before moving to England when the old man joined Saracens in 1996.

He followed in his father’s footsteps by taking up rugby and progressed from Richmond RFC to link up with Harlequins aged just 13.

Representative honours followed as he was capped by England at U16s, U18s and U19s level, with his league debut coming in October 2020 when he was still a teenager.

He went on to score two tries in the 2021 Premiership final at Twickenham as ‘Quins beat Exeter to win the title, while he was then called up to an England training camp by Eddie Jones that autumn.

But, with injury stalling his progress, he wasn’t to be capped and, come the start of 2024, he realised it was time to move on and accept an approach from Benetton.

“It was tough because I thought my home was Harlequins and London and England,” he says.

“It was a bit of a tricky one. The decision was kind of taken out of my hands because it got to a point where me saying no to the Benetton offer would have been a risk upon my career because Harlequins didn’t really want to offer me anything.

“It was tough. I never thought I would leave ‘Quins but my mum is a big believer that everything happens for a reason.

“Coming to Benetton and playing for Italy, it’s been really good. It’s definitely tested me as a player but I think I have learned so many lessons from it and I feel like I have become a more rounded player.

“While I was at ‘Quins, there was the training camp under Eddie and if I hadn’t got injured during that season, you never know, I may have got capped by England.

“But everything happens for a reason. It’s just the way my career has panned out and I am making the most of it and loving every second of it.”

Within days of his move to Benetton being announced in February 2024, Lynagh was called up to the Italy squad by head coach Gonzalo Quesdada and swiftly made a try-scoring debut against Scotland, sharing in a further win over Wales a week later.

“I signed with Benetton and then a few days later Gonzalo gave me a call to come in,” he reveals.

“It was brilliant but very daunting at the same time, going straight into the Italy camp, only knowing one or two guys there.

“I trained the week of the France game, which we drew and then the next week I was told I was starting against Scotland. I didn’t have much time to think, I just had to go out there and play rugby.

“It was a very cool and a very successful start to my international career and hopefully that keeps on going.”

There was another big moment for Lynagh on the Test front last November when he scored a try in Italy’s victory over Australia in Udine.

“My whole family was in the stands watching the game and they were all so happy for me,” he says.

“It was a pretty weird feeling scoring because I grew up supporting not only Italy but also being very much brought up as an Australian. It was very strange but an amazing feeling.”

Lynagh’s two younger brothers - Tom, a Wallaby international and Nick - are also forging rugby careers, with the pair of them at Queensland Reds.

So how much of it was down to the promptings of their 72-cap flyhalf dad?

“He was very much one for us finding our own way,” replies Louis.

“If anything, he kind of pushed us away from rugby. Him and our mum were very big on us trying all different sorts of sports. Me and my brothers all played cricket, football, tennis growing up and did swimming.

“But I was always drawn to rugby from an early stage, straight away from when I started at Richmond when I was five. I just immediately loved it.

“The other two kind of took their time to get into it, but we have all found our way into rugby.”

On having such a famous surname, he says: “I was obviously aware of who dad was and what he had done in rugby and I have always been very proud of that.

“Growing up at school, I never really felt there was a burden to perform or anything like that. I tried to forge my own path and show I am not in the shadow of my dad and that I can do my own things and be just as good.

“Obviously, I want to be as good as my dad, if not better and achieve the same stuff he did.

“When I won the Premiership with ‘Quins, I went straight up to him with my medal and said ‘You haven’t got one of these, have you?’.

“But then he turned round and said ‘Well, you haven’t got a World Cup, have you?’. So he kind of one-upped me!”

The nine-cap Lynagh, whose mum is Italian, is certainly making his own mark now with his prolific form for both club and country.

“Every time I get to take the field, I am very fortunate to be part of a great squad like Benetton and obviously Italy as well,” he said.

“I’m just taking my chances and doing what my job is for the team. If I am not scoring tries, I am not doing my job. It’s like a striker in football. If I get put in the right positions, I like to think I score the tries.”

His predatory prowess has helped Benetton win six of their last seven matches in all competitions and they will head for the Arms Park in buoyant mood.

“We are looking towards it as one of our main games of the season,” said Lynagh.

“We know how good Cardiff have been, especially at home at the Arms Park. It’s sort of a fortress there for them and there’s always an amazing atmosphere.

“We all want to go full out to bring our A-game which we will need to do to have a good victory. I am really looking forward to it.”

Cardiff Rugby v Benetton

Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – KO 7.45pm IRE & UK/8.45pm ITA/9.45pm SA

Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 58th league game)

AR 1: Ben Connor (WRU) AR 2: Craig Evans (WRU)

TMO: Colin Brett (SRU)

Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv