Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Louis Lynagh makes 2 bold England predictions

ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 28: Louis Lynagh of Itacportivo Giulio Onesti on October 28, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Federugby/Federugby via Getty Images)

Louis Lynagh’s final appointment with his London-based knee specialist couldn’t have been planned better. It’s brought him over from Treviso to Twickenham at just the right time for him to attend Italy’s game against England at Allianz Stadium this Sunday, along with his dad and Wallaby legend Michael, and younger brother Nick.

ADVERTISEMENT

Naturally, the Benetton winger/full-back would have loved to have been out on the pitch and adding to his five Azzurri caps but a torn ligament in his left knee in a URC game against Zebre on the eve of the Guinness Six Nations put paid to any chance he had of competing in this year’s Championship.

However, with three former Harlequins players on England’s bench and his Italian teammates on show, Lynagh has plenty of vested interest in the game, revealing on the latest episode of The Rugby Paper podcast that he is still in regular contact with his old friends from the Stoop, including one who he’s tipped to be a future England captain.

“Fin Baxter was my old housemate and is a good mate. I am so happy that he seems to have nailed down that No17 jersey for the time being,” said Lynagh, who confirmed he is six weeks away from a return to action.

“Mark my words, he will be England captain one day. He’s made to be it.

“He’s one of the nicest blokes you’ll ever meet, down to earth, very kind. I wouldn’t say soft, but he doesn’t want to get in a fight at any point. Then, as soon as you’re on the field, I have never seen anyone hit so hard. He generates so much power and he just does his job perfectly right every time.

“So, I keep tabs with him, I text Marcus (Smith) a lot as well, not only to see how he is but also for advice.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
5
Draws
0
Wins
0
Average Points scored
36
16
First try wins
40%
Home team wins
60%

While Baxter has yet to oust Ellis Genge from the starting loose-head position, his time will no doubt come. But it is unusual for a prop to lead England in recent times. Only Phil Vickery and Jason Leonard have done it in the professional era.

ADVERTISEMENT

More unusual, however, is finding someone who believes Italy can beat England this weekend for the first time at the 32nd attempt. Italian-born Lynagh reckons it’s on, despite the record 24-73 defeat against France in round three.

“Obviously, everyone has got England winning, we’ve never beaten England, but I believe we are due a win, and I feel like we are going to spring a bit of a surprise,” he said.

“People will have been looking at the French game last week and thinking, it’s the Italy of old, they’ve not come anywhere. But if you really look at it, some of the stuff played by Italy in the first half, and France obviously, was really good.

“It could go either of two ways but I have got Italy winning, 24-21.”

Whatever the outcome, Lynagh believes that Italy have a bright future under head coach Gonzalo Quesada, with players now falling over themselves to represent the Azzurri.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I am very fortunate in the respect that I could have played for three countries – Australia, England and Italy, and it just so happens my path was with Italy, and I couldn’t be happier,” said the former England training squad member and age-group international.

“We have got such a talented group and it’s getting to the point where players who have a small bit of Italian in them and can qualify for Italy are looking at Italy and thinking, ‘You know what, I want to go over there and play for them’. 10 years ago no one would have said that.”

Related

Win British & Irish Lions Merchandise! We have Replica Jerseys, Backpacks, Caps, Bobble Hats and Scarves up for grabs. Enter now.

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

5 Comments
A
Alvin LeeO 17 days ago

Oh my goodness this is amazing!

Thank you so much Dr Excellent for restoring my broken marriage in 11hours after 2 months of separation. My husband left me and moved to be with another woman. I felt my life was over and my kids thought they would never see their father again. I tried to be strong just for the kids but I could not control the pains that tormented my heart, my heart was filled with sorrows and pains because I was really in love with my husband. I have tried many options but he did not come back, until i met a friend that directed me to Dr. Excellent a spell caster, who helped me to bring back my husband after 11hours. Me and my husband are living happily together again, This man is powerful, Contact Dr. Excellent for any kind of spiritual problems or any kind of spell or relationship problems he is capable of making things right for you with no side effect. Don't miss out on the opportunity to work with the best spell caster. Here his contact. Call/WhatsApp him at: +2348084273514 "Or email him at: Excellentspellcaster@gmail.com , His website:https://drexcellentspellcaster.godaddysites.com

A
Alvin LeeO 17 days ago

Oh my goodness this is amazing!

Thank you so much Dr Excellent for restoring my broken marriage in 11hours after 2 months of separation. My husband left me and moved to be with another woman. I felt my life was over and my kids thought they would never see their father again. I tried to be strong just for the kids but I could not control the pains that tormented my heart, my heart was filled with sorrows and pains because I was really in love with my husband. I have tried many options but he did not come back, until i met a friend that directed me to Dr. Excellent a spell caster, who helped me to bring back my husband after 11hours. Me and my husband are living happily together again, This man is powerful, Contact Dr. Excellent for any kind of spiritual problems or any kind of spell or relationship problems he is capable of making things right for you with no side effect. Don't miss out on the opportunity to work with the best spell caster. Here his contact. Call/WhatsApp him at: +2348084273514 "Or email him at: Excellentspellcaster@gmail.com , His website:https://drexcellentspellcaster.godaddysites.com

L
LB 18 days ago

Who wrote this article? Finn Baxter is a loose head not a tight head. Won't be ousting will Stuart any time soon, it's genge that he's vying for position with

K
KS 18 days ago

Wish we did have TH to oust WS

J
JN 18 days ago

Sorry, no excuse. I just had a brain fade

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

r
reginaldgarcia 1 hour ago
Crusaders rookie earns 'other than Dupont' praise from All Blacks star

My father, a retired schoolteacher, has always been cautious with his money. He worked hard his entire life to build a modest retirement fund and trusted that it would support him in his golden years. So, when he told me about an “exclusive” investment opportunity in cryptocurrency that promised high returns, I was immediately suspicious. But he was convinced it was legitimate—after all, the website looked professional, and the salesperson had been so persuasive over the phone. Despite my warnings, he invested 15,000 USD of his savings. At first, everything seemed fine. He received regular updates and saw “profits” reflected in his online account. But when he tried to withdraw some money, the website suddenly went offline, and the phone number was disconnected. My father was devastated. He had been scammed, and his hard-earned savings were gone. I knew I had to act quickly. I reached out to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY, a company I had read about online that specialized in tracing online fraud. I explained the situation, providing them with all the details: the fake website, the transaction records, and even the emails from the scammer. The team at TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY was incredibly understanding and assured me they would do everything possible to help. Using their expertise in digital forensics, they traced the scammer’s digital footprint and identified the offshore account where the money had been transferred. They worked tirelessly with international authorities to freeze the account and recover the funds. Within a few weeks, they successfully returned the 15,000 USD to my father. The relief on his face was indescribable. Not only had TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY restored his savings, but they had also given him peace of mind. They even took the time to educate him on how to spot investment scams in the future, empowering him to protect himself. This brought our family closer together. My father now understands the importance of skepticism and due diligence, and I’m grateful to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY for their incredible work. They didn’t just recover money, they restored my father’s faith in justice and gave him a second chance to enjoy his retirement.EMAIL..Techcybersforcerecovery(@)cyberservices(.)comWHATSAPP... + 1.5.6.1.7.2.6.3.6.9.7

8 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

MP are a NZ side through and through, NZ is even having to pay for it.

Yes they caved to public demand, I bet it accomplished a lot of internal goals. They could have left it to the other groups, but I’m of the belief that they weren’t showing the capability to make it work as being a good reason for NZR to jump in and do it. I think it’s actually funded 50/50 between NZR and WR though.

(when nothing was stopping a pi player playing for any side in Super Rugby)

Neither is that fact true. Only 3 non NZ players are allowed in each squad.


I see you also need to learn what the term poach means - take or acquire in an unfair or clandestine way. - Moana have more slots for non eligible players (and you have seen many return to an NZ franchise) so players are largely making their own choice without any outside coercion ala Julian Savea.

Not one of these Kiwis and Aussies would go live in the Islands to satisfy any criteria, and I’d say most of them have hardly ever set foot in the islands, outside of a holiday.

Another inaccurate statement. Take Mo’unga’s nephew Armstrong-Ravula, if he is not eligible via ancestry in a couple of generations time, he will be eligible because he plays his rugby there (even if he’s only their for rugby and not living there), that is a recent change made by World Rugby to better reflect examples like Fabian Holland and Fakatava.

It’s becoming the jump-ship/zero loyalty joke that international League is.

Look I understand you’re reason to cry and make an example at any opportunity, but you don’t really need to anymore, other recent changes made by WR are basically going to stop the Ireland situation, and time (perhaps no more than a decade) will fix the rest.

26 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Scotland's senior players 'have gone to a different level' in quest for top-three finish Scotland's senior players 'have gone to a different level' in quest for top-three finish
Search