World of Boxing and Rugby Union
Fly-half
4. Michael Lynagh
Michael Lynagh is one of the most successful and skilful players ever to have graced the sport of rugby union. He was a bright young rugby star at school, playing in the first team of St. Joseph’s College between 1979 and 1981. He won the GPS Premiership at Gregory Terrace and captained the team successfully during his last year there. After leaving school, Lynagh represented Queensland between 1982 and 1995. He was an important member of Queensland’s Super 6 and Super 10 victorious sides.
Lynagh proudly represented his country between the years of 1984 and 1995. His preferred position was fly-half but he was versatile enough to switch to inside-centre if required. He won a total of 72 caps for the Wallabies and captained the national side for two years, between 1993 and 1995.
He made his international debut at the age of 20, against Fiji on June 9th 1984. Australia won this match 16-3 and Lynagh quickly established himself as a rising rugby talent. Shortly after his debut, Lynagh helped his team win an impressive Grand Slam.
In 1986, Lynagh helped Australia to win the Bledisloe cup at the expense of the All Blacks, in New Zealand. He continued this feat in 1992 on home turf, in front of ecstatic fans and scored a magnificent total of 28 points.
Lynagh played in the first three World Cup tournaments and was lucky enough to experience World Cup glory in the 1991 competition. He was vice-captain of the team who won the title and perhaps his most inspiring international match came in the quarter-final against a strong Ireland team. Irish flanker Gordon Hamilton had scored a late try to put his team ahead in the match. Furthermore, shortly after this try, Australian captain Nick Farr-Jones was substituted following an injury. At this point, the World Cup dreams of Australia looked doomed. However, Michael Lynagh took the captain’s armband and inspired his team to a magnificent comeback. He scored the try which won the game, following a great pass from David Campese. Lynagh inspired the Wallabies to a strong performance in the semi-final, which resulted in a comfortable win over the All Blacks. The final against England was a closely fought match and the 7 points scored by Lynagh proved invaluable, as Australia won 12-6.
Michael Lynagh retired from international rugby in 1995, holding the world record for points scored with an impressive total of 911. His final appearance was against England in the quarter-final of the World Cup and ended in a narrow defeat.
Lynagh also holds the accolade of having scored in every Test match he participated in.
At the time of Michael Lynagh’s retirement, he held numerous impressive records:
-
Most international points scored – 911
-
Most points scored in an international match by an Australian – 28
-
Most penalty goals in international matches – 177
-
Most conversions in international matches – 140
-
Most conversions scored in an international match by an Australian – 8
-
Most international appearances in the position of fly-half – 65
-
Most countries played against – 17
-
Most points scored for Queensland – 1166