Ex-Wallabies star Cameron Shepherd has voiced his concerns with Joe Schmidt’s decision to throw flyhalf Tom Lynagh into the fire for his maiden Test start against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.
On Thursday, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt confirmed Lynagh had edged Ben Donaldson and James O’Connor to wear the gold No.10 at Suncorp Stadium.
The selection means Tom and Michael Lynagh will become the first father and son duo to play for the Wallabies against the Lions.
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Tom Lynagh during a Wallabies training session. Chris Hyde via Getty Images
Wallabies legend Michael played against the Lions in 1989, a series won 2-1 by the visitors.
Recovering from a broken hand suffered in June, Lynagh missed Australia’s warm-up win over Fiji in Newcastle earlier this month.
It was widely assumed that Ben Donaldson, who replaced the injured Noah Lolesio in that match, would take over as the starter.
But Schmidt has instead opted for the son of a gun with just three Test caps off the bench.
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Tom Lynagh has played in three Test matches for the Wallabies Getty
“I’ve got my concerns about Lynagh,” Shepherd told Stan Sport’s Inside Lion.
“His lack of experience, top of the list. He’s a top player, I’m actually a fan of him, but we’re talking about a guy who has only played a few Tests…
“He has not played a lot of international rugby, and he is coming up against a really classy outfit.
“I would have thought Donaldson would have been the smart play to put in once we lost Noah.”
Despite his reservations, Shepherd called on Schmidt to now pick and stick with Lynagh for all three Tests, regardless of the outcome in Brisbane.
Shepherd believed that confidence would empower Lynagh.
Michael and Tom Lynagh at Ballymore. Queensland Rugby Union
“Stick with him. You’ve got three Tests. Let’s build around him and get some consistency,” he said.
“The worst thing that I think can happen is we go to Brisbane, we perform poorly, we then make all these changes – we pull the No.10 out, we pull the No.9 out, restructure – and then all of a sudden, we’re at the MCG a week later with a brand new nucleus around our attack and we’re facing the Lions coming downhill.”
Ex-Wallabies captain Michael Hooper was nodding in agreement.
“My concern is he hasn’t trained too much,” Hooper said.
“Yes, give him a shot, and give him a good shot at the whole series, but he has been injured – he hasn’t been training too much with the team.
“But we’re not in camp, we’re not with the team. We haven’t been seeing how he’s controlling and managing the team, how he’s getting his forwards around the park, and how he’s opening up his strengths in the backline. So, Joe is not a bad coach; he’s a great coach.
“He’s seen great players the world over, and he’s seeing something that he really likes.”
