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| Birth name | Louis Lynagh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (2000-12-03)3 December 2000 (age 24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Treviso,Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hampton School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Michael Lynagh (father) Tom Lynagh (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Louis Lynagh (born 3 December 2000) is a professionalrugby union player who plays as awing forUnited Rugby Championship clubBenetton Rugby.[2] Born in Italy, he qualified forEngland on residency grounds and represented them at age grade levels, before choosing to represent the country of his birth at senior level, making his debut forItaly on 9 March 2024.[3][4][5]
Lynagh was born inTreviso,Italy to an Italian mother and former Australian rugby playerMichael Lynagh.[3] At the age of four he moved with his family toEngland where he began playing mini rugby atRichmond and attendedHampton School.[3][4]
Lynagh joined the academy ofHarlequins at the age of thirteen.[6] In October 2020 he made his Premiership debut againstLeicester Tigers and later that season scored a try during Harlequins 43–36 defeat ofBristol Bears in the semi-final, a game in which Quins recovered from 28 points down to win.[6][7] The following weekend on 26 June 2021 Lynagh scored two late tries as Quins defeated defending championsExeter Chiefs 40-38 in the final atTwickenham to win their first Premiership title for nine years.[6][8] In doing so he equalled the record for the most amount of tries scored by an individual player in a Premiership final and became the youngest ever try scorer in a Premiership final at just 20years 205 days old.[9]
In January 2024, although not originally named in the match day squad, Lynagh started on the bench for Harlequins in theirChampions Cup pool stage fixture againstUlster becauseCameron Anderson was injured. An HIA replacement forOscar Beard meant he came off the bench early in the game. Lynagh went on to win man of the match after scoring two tries from Ulster mistakes as they won 47-19.[10] During the same European campaign, he was part of the side that defeatedGlasgow Warriors 28-24 at home in the Round of 16, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the competition.[11] He started in their semi-final elimination againstToulouse.[12][1]
Lynagh signed with ItalianUnited Rugby Championship clubBenetton a two-year contract from the 2024–25 season, with option until 2027.[13]He made his debut in Round 1 ofUnited Rugby Championship in the 2024–25 season against theScarlets.[14]
Lynagh represented the England under-16 team and in the summer of 2018 was a member of theEngland U18 side that toured South Africa.[4][15] In September 2021 Lynagh received his first call-up to the seniorEngland squad by coachEddie Jones for a training camp.[16]
Despite previously being called into an England training camp, Lynagh was not capped. In February 2024, he received a call up to theItaly squad by head coachGonzalo Quesada for the2024 Six Nations following the announcement of his move to Benetton at the end of the season.[17] On 9 March 2024, he was named on the wing in the starting side, scoring a try on his debut againstScotland in a game that Italy won 31-29.[5][18] The following match Lynagh went two wins from two as Italy beatWales 24-21 at theMillennium Stadium. It was the first time since 2013 that Italy had achieved at least two wins from a Six Nations tournament.[19]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 March 2024 | Stadio Olimpico,Rome, Italy |  Scotland | 21–22 | 31–29 | 2024 Six Nations Championship | [18] |
| 2 | 5 July 2024 | Apia Park,Apia, Samoa |  Samoa | 13–7 | 25–33 | 2024 mid-year rugby union tests | [21] |