Joe Schmidt is set to roll the dice at fly-half for the opening Test match against the British and Irish Lions, according to reports.
The Wallabies head coach called up veteran playmaker James O’Connor to the squad following the injury to regular first-choice pivot Noah Lolesio.
Tom Lynagh backed
However, it will not be
O’Connor
who is entrusted with the number 10 jersey but rather
Tom Lynagh
, the son of
Wallabies
great Michael, who won the Rugby World Cup with Australia in 1991.
The 22-year-old fly-half has three caps to his name to date, all of which came off the bench for the Wallabies last year, while he missed the clash against Fiji with a hand injury.
According to a report by
ROAR Sports
, Ben Donaldson, who took over the fly-half duties when Lolesio went down against the Fijians, will provide cover from the bench with O’Connor missing out entirely.
Donaldson has already fronted up against the British and Irish Lions, starting at full-back against the tourists for their first game in Australia against the Western Force.
Lynagh is expected to be partnered by Jake Gordon in the halves with Tate McDermott on the bench, according to the report. Len Ikitau and Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii are set to be named in the midfield, with Tom Wright at full-back and Max Jorgensen and Harry Potter the wingers.
Schmidt will name his team for the Test opener on Thursday, with doubts remaining over the likes of hooker Dave Porecki and back-rower Rob Valetini.
Meanwhile, the Lions are contending with setbacks of their own, with Mack Hansen emerging as a major doubt for the opening Test after suffering an injury in the comprehensive victory over the AUNZ Invitational team over the weekend.
Assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth states that none of the players have been ruled out just yet, with hope remaining around the availability of Hansen and star full-back Blair Kinghorn.
Speaking ahead of the Test opener, scrum-half McDermott backed his clubmate Lynagh for the starting role.
“He was fully training during that Fiji week. For us, we just had to make sure he was 100 per cent, which he wasn’t for that game,” he told reporters.
“I’ve played a lot of footy with Tommy as well, particularly recently, and his development over the last 12 months has been fantastic.
“The way he steered around the Reds side this year is a true credit to all the work he’s done and all the work that he’s had put into him as well.
“His experiences last year on the Wallabies side, Les’s [Kiss] guidance, James in the background there as well.
“I’d back whoever is in that 9 or 10 jersey to take the lines on. Like I said before, it’s going to be a huge challenge.”
READ MORE:
British and Irish Lions team ‘not finalised’ after Mack Hansen setback as star full-back remains in contention
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