Son of a gun: Tom Lynagh backed to face Lions in first Test, 36 years after dad Michael

Australia will wait until Thursday to name their team for the first Test - but the son of a Wallabies great is set to follow in his father’s footsteps 36 years after an epic Lions encounter.

Michael Lynagh and Tom Lynagh set to become Australia's first father-son duo to take on the Lions.

In a nod to the future and back to the golden era of Australian rugby, Tom Lynagh – the fresh-faced son of Wallabies legend Michael Lynagh – will get the chance to finish the job against the British & Irish Lions that his famous father almost pulled off 36 years ago.

While Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will wait until Thursday before formally announcing his team to face the Lions in Saturday’s series opener at Suncorp Stadium, this masthead understands 22-year-old Lynagh will be promoted to start at five-eighth, just as his dad in 1989.

Tom Lynagh has been tipped to come into the Wallabies team to face the Lions. Picture: Getty

Careful not to give away any selection secrets, Lynagh’s Queensland Reds teammate Tate McDermott would not say whether Lynagh would start or come off the bench but said he had every confidence in him to do whatever was required of him.

“He’s still got a hell of a long way to go in terms of his journey and his development, but I’m really excited to see how he goes on Saturday,” McDermott said.

“Knowing the type of bloke he is, his family would be really proud of the journey he’s been on. He’s obviously a guy that comes with a lot of expectation, having the last name Lynagh, but the way he’s gone about his work, it’s been brilliant.”

Queensland Reds teammates Tate McDermott and Tom Lynagh. Picture: Evan Morgan

While his promotion to the number 10 jersey has been rapid, Lynagh’s promotion isn’t a major surprise after the Wallabies’ first-choice five eighth Noah Lolesio was ruled out of the series after sustaining a neck injury against Fiji two weeks ago.

Veteran playmaker James O’Connor was added to the squad but partly to help mentor Lynagh and Ben Donaldson, who can cover fullback and five-eighth.

Lynagh will follow in the footsteps of his dad Michael, Australia’s all-time leading point scorer, who was part of the Wallabies team that won the World Cup in 1991.

Known affectionately as Noddy, Michael Lynagh also featured in the infamous 1989 series against the Lions, where the Wallabies blew a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1.

Born in Italy then schooled in England, Tom relocated to Australia when he finished his education to pursue his dream of playing for the Wallabies.

A chip off the old block, the blond-haired playmaker signed for the Reds and made his Test debut last year after impressing everyone with the ice-cool way he copes with the added pressure of his surname.

“There’s just expectations that come with that role and you’ve got to make sure that he’s owning that space and that’s what he’s done,’ said McDermott.

“I’m not quite sure exactly what he does. Obviously everyone speaks to their dad, so he’d have a wealth of experience for him, but I imagine in his position he doesn’t want to just be Michael’s son he wants to be something else and yeah, that’s what rugby’s all about.”

Michael Lynagh had a decorated career against the Wallabies and nearly pulled off the impossible against the Lions 36 years ago. Picture: Getty

McDermott, who is also expected to play in the first Test, either starting at halfback or coming off the bench for a fit-again Jake Gordon, has seen Lynagh’s rapid improvement close-up.

He said he was notoriously shy when he first arrived at the Reds but quickly grew in confidence after Queensland coach Les Kiss elevated him into the starting line-up.

“Obviously everyone knew his old man and everyone loved having him a part of the group but he just wanted to learn,” McDermott said.

“He kind of got thrown in the deep end a little bit in being our starting 10 there for the Reds in a couple of games during his first year but he did a great job.

“As you know from 10s, they’ve got to be the generals…they’ve got to lead the side around and that’s the biggest thing he’s done in the last 12 months from his experiences last year, coming off the bench of the Wallabies, being in the Joe Schmidt environment, then Les just giving him the keys to the kingdom.

“There’s a number of options in our pocket, and it’s gonna be exciting to see who gets that first nod.

“But it’s going to be a huge challenge. We’re under no illusions of the threat that’s coming.”

Originally published as Son of a gun: Tom Lynagh backed to face Lions in first Test, 36 years after dad Michael