Michael Patrick Thomas Lynagh, (born 25 October 1963) is an Australian former rugby union player who played 66 tests at fly-half and six tests at inside centre between 1984 and 1995. Lynagh was capped 72 times for Australia, and was captain from 1993 to 1995.
Lynagh debuted for the Australia national team (the Wallabies) at inside centre on the 1984 tour of Fiji. He was a member of the Wallabies team on the 1984 tour of the British Isles, the first and only Australian team to complete a touring Grand Slam. Lynagh scored 21 points against Scotland on this tour, which was a then Australian record against a top tier IRB rugby nation. In 1986, Lynagh scored 23 points for Australia playing against France, breaking the then Australian record for most points scored by an Australian player in a test. Lynagh was a member of the Australian squad for the 1986 Australia tour of New Zealand, during which the Wallabies became only the second team – and sixth international side – to win a test series victory against the All Blacks in New Zealand. During the 1987 Rugby World Cup, Lynagh broke the Australian record for most career points scored in the semi-final against France.
Lynagh was vice-captain when Australia won the 1991 World Cup. On the 1993 Australia rugby union tour, he produced his finest test performance for the Wallabies at Parc de Princes in the second test against France. He retired from international rugby after the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He was the world points scoring record holder when he retired, with 911 points.
Family history and early years
Michael Patrick Thomas Lynagh was born on 25 October 1963 at Brisbane's Mater Hospital to Marie (née Johnson) and Ian Lynagh. He has one sibling, a sister named Jane who was born in April 1965. In 1963, Ian Lynagh started a teaching job at Villanova College while studying for his Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Queensland. The Lynagh family moved into their first house in the northern Brisbane suburb of Everton Park. They later moved to Ipswich where Michael Lynagh attended St Mary's Primary School for a year. In 1969, Ian Lynagh left the teaching profession to enter into the field of guidance counseling at schools, prompting the Lynagh family to move to the Gold Coast where Michael Lynagh attended Star of the Sea convent in Southport for three years. Lynagh then spent his fifth grade year at Southport. During this time his father Ian changed jobs and became a student counselor at the Queensland Institute of Technology. In 1973 the Lynagh family moved back to Brisbane, settling in the suburb of Ascot in Carfin Street.
St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace
Early in 1974, Michael Lynagh commenced studies at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, which his biographer Andrew Slack called "one of the most important and valuable journeys of his life."
In 1978, Lynagh's father Ian was offered the opportunity to undertake doctoral studies in psychology at Oregon State University, leading the Lynagh family to move to the United States. The family settled in Corvallis, Oregon, on America's north-west coast in August 1978. Lynagh attended Crescent Valley High School for half a year where he played American football as a kicker. In early 1979, Lynagh returned to Australia with his mother and sister while his father remained in Oregon to complete his doctoral studies.
Upon returning from the United States, Lynagh made selection for St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace's rugby union First XV at 15-years-old as a fly-half. St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace won the GPS competition in 1979 – its third successive championship. Shortly thereafter Lynagh was selected as captain for a Queensland under-16 team to play at a carnival in Perth. Queensland finished third in the tournament.
Follow this, Lynagh was named captain of an Australian under-17 team that toured New Zealand in May 1979. The team was coached by Jeff Sayle and contained future Wallabies Brett Papworth, Greg Martin and Cameron Lillicrap. The team won all five matches, including a 39–14 victory over Wellington and a 26–15 win against New Zealand at Christchurch. In The Winning Way, Bob Dwyer remembered: "I regard Lynagh as one of the great players of international Rugby for at least a generation. I first saw him on Coogee Oval when he was practicing for, I think, the Australian under-17 team. I asked the coach Jeff Sayle: 'Who's that little blond-haired kid over there?' Sayle replied, 'Don't knock him – he's the star.' I assured Sayle I was not knocking him. I was immediately impressed by him."
Upon returning from New Zealand, Lynagh continued playing for St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, and the school won its fourth consecutive premiership in 1980 with a 12–0 win over Brisbane State High School. In 1981, Lynagh was named captain of the school's cricket and rugby union teams. While St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace's cricket team did not win the premiership, the rugby union side won its fifth consecutive premiership. In the sixth game of the season against Southport School, Lynagh's collarbone was broken in a tackle made by future Australian rugby league player Peter Jackson, forcing him to miss the last three weeks of the rugby season.
Lynagh's injury healed in time for him to attend the trials in Sydney for the Australian Schoolboys team and he obtained selection for the 1981 tour to Great Britain. Lynagh toured with the 1981 Australian Schoolboys managed by Martin Pitt and captained by Steve Tuynman. The side went undefeated for the 10-game tour, which included victories over Irish Schools (24–0), Scottish Schools (34–0), and Wales (13–9).
Queensland University
Upon returning from the 1981 Australian Schoolboys tour to Great Britain, Lynagh was scouted by two Brisbane rugby clubs: Brothers Old Boys and University of Queensland. He committed to studying Human Movement at the University of Queensland, and following a meeting with University of Queensland's captain Mark Loane, he decided to play for the club. Lynagh debuted for University of Queensland on 7 March 1982 against Souths Rugby Club, opposing Andrew Slack who was playing at five-eighth for his club. Slack, who kept a diary of all his rugby performances, later wrote: '...Went out to St Lucia and played University in absolutely atrocious conditions. They beat us 17–0; Michael Lynagh made a superb debut.' Loane later praised Lynagh's performance, 'It was the most impressive first-grade debut I've ever seen.' University of Queensland's 17 points came from two tries scored by Loane and nine points from Lynagh's kicking. Lynagh spent much of 1982 absent from University of Queensland Rugby Club while representing and touring with the Queensland Reds, however he returned to club rugby for University of Queensland's semi-finals.
In January 1983, Lynagh toured with University of Queensland to the British Isles, where his team played mostly against other universities or district teams. Later in the year, University of Queensland lost the grand final to Brothers Old Boys 30–15.
In 1984, University of Queensland coach Lester Hampton announced Lynagh as the team's new captain in what was Lynagh's third season with the club. Under his captaincy, University of Queensland won their first match of the season 35–3, which was a rematch of the previous year's premiership against Brothers Old Boys.
In 1985, Lynagh led University of Queensland to a berth in the Brisbane grand final against Wests. University of Queensland hadn't won a premiership for six years and entered the final narrow favourites. However, Wests defeated University of Queensland 10–7 after the referee Kerry Fitzgerald awarded a field goal to Wests' fly-half Tim Lane, which a television replay later confirmed had gone under the crossbar.
In 1988, Lynagh won the first of three straight Brisbane club premierships with University of Queensland, defeating Souths 18–10 in the grand final.
In 1989, University of Queensland beat Souths 34–9 in the grand final, in which Lynagh scored a try and kicked two drop goals, one from 50 metres. In Noddy (1995), Andrew Slack praised Lynagh, writing that, 'It was an ideal climax to a domestic season in which Lynagh had displayed the best form of his career.'
In 1990, University of Queensland beat Brothers Old Boys 17–10 in the grand final, in which he scored two tries. Following the match, Brothers Old Boys lock Rod McCall said: "If Michael Lynagh hadn't played, Uni might not have scored a point."
Queensland
Following the Wallabies' 1981–82 tour of Britain and Ireland, Queensland full-back Roger Gould decided to travel to Argentina, leaving his position vacant within the state side. To compensate for Gould's absence, Queensland's selectors named its incumbent five-eighth Paul McLean at full-back and Lynagh at fly-half. Lynagh's first game for Queensland was a 32–9 victory over Wairarapa-Bush. In his second game for Queensland, Lynagh played against Sydney and opposed Mark Ella at five-eighth. Queensland lost to Sydney 25–9. His third game for Queensland was scheduled on Anzac Day 1982 against an invitational New Zealand XV that his biography describes as 'an All Black team in all but name.' Queensland lost to the invitational New Zealand side. Shortly thereafter, Gould returned from Argentina to play for Queensland and McLean was returned to the five-eighth position. However, Lynagh was selected for a 21-man Queensland squad for a three-match tour of New Zealand in 1982. Lynagh played in his fourth game for Queensland in a mid-week game against Hawkes Bay in Napier, which was the only game Queensland won on tour. Notably, in the first four games that Michael Lynagh played for Queensland in 1982, he partnered three different half-backs – Tony Parker, Guy Sanders and Mick Arnold.
Despite Queenslander Tim Lane being selected ahead of Lynagh for the 1982 tour of New Zealand, following the retirement of McLean from national and state representative rugby, Lynagh commenced 1983 as the Queensland Maroons' first selection at five-eighth. Lynagh toured with Queensland to Fiji and New Zealand and played with two new half-backs, debutants Peter Lavin and Paul Johnston.
Queensland lost their first game against Fiji in Suva, 24–48. However, they won the second match on tour 26–0 against Western Province in Nadi. In New Zealand, Queensland lost to Counties in Pukekohe in what Andrew Slack described as a 'sound beating'. Queensland's 1983 season contained a victory over New South Wales at Ballymore, a 7–6 loss in a rematch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and a victory over Canterbury.
During the 1983 Argentina tour of Australia, Lynagh played for Queensland in the Pumas' third game on tour, which the Maroons lost 28–34. However, while playing against Argentina fly-half Hugo Porta, Lynagh contributed 22 points to Queensland's 28 points, including a try, two conversions and four penalties.
In April 1984, Lynagh toured with Queensland for a three-match tour of New Zealand, during which his father Ian accompanied the team in his new profession as sports psychologist. Queensland won the first tour game 31–12 against North Auckland at Whangerei.
In 1986 on New Year's Day, Lynagh departed with the Queensland team for a one-month tour of Europe. Queensland defeated the Netherlands 54–5 in the first match on tour in Amsterdam. Queensland faced Ulster during the tour in a game that was played in what Andrew Slack called 'the worst conditions imaginable.' Queensland won 6–4 against an Ulster side that had been undefeated in their previous 17 matches, with Lynagh kicking two penalties. Lynagh considers his second goal as one of the most memorable of his career: