Tom Lynagh emerges from Lions den 'refreshed' for Pumas

With an eye to nine more Tests before December, Wallabies captain Harry Wilson reckons Tom Lynagh’s brutally enforced absence will prove to have long-term benefits.

The 22-year-old will return from a nasty concussion to play in Saturday afternoon’s Test against Argentina in Townsville.

It will be the first time in the 22-year-old’s seven-Test career that he’s started against a team other than the British and Irish Lions.

Those three Tests earlier this year were emotionally and physically torrid; Lynagh’s series was abruptly ended by a Dan Sheehan elbow in a ruck that was only penalised retrospectively.

The subsequent concussion ruled Lynagh out of the two-Test tour of South Africa that immediately followed.

But the fit-again son of former World Cup-winning flyhalf Michael has been thrust straight back into the starting side, with veteran playmaker James O’Connor benched.

Tests in Townsville and Sydney next weekend against Los Pumas are crucial both for world rankings points ahead of December’s Rugby World Cup draw, and the Wallabies’ hopes of ending a 10-year Rugby Championship title drought.

Wilson, back from his own knee injury to lead the side, said that time away would serve Lynagh well.

“Tom looks pretty refreshed to be honest,” Wilson said.

“He had a big couple of months, the back end of Super (Rugby) into Lions.

“The way he stood up in those periods was awesome, a starting debut in some of the biggest matches you could have.

“He’ll take plenty of confidence from that, and it’s like he’s had a little pre-season the last three, four weeks. He looks really fit and excited to get back out there.”

Wilson admitted to some “dark fears” after hurting his knee while scoring his second try in the Wallabies’ historic Ellis Park defeat of the Springboks last month.

He missed the next Test in Cape Town, but was cleared of structural damage and is confident he’ll handle temperatures that could approach 30 degrees on Saturday.

“It’s great to be back; a bit of a scare in Johannesburg, and when you have a non-contact knee injury you have some dark fears there,” he said.

“Lucky to just bang a bit of cartilage. It was pretty sore for a few days to a week, but settled really well when I got back to Australia.

“I trained all last week and a good week’s prep to give me plenty of confidence.

“We had the altitude in South Africa, and now a good, tough week’s prep in the heat is a nice change.”

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Los Pumas beat the Lions before the tourists arrived in Australia, and defeated the All Blacks for the first time in Argentina a fortnight ago.

Last year the Wallabies, in Wilson’s captaincy debut, won 20-19 in La Plata, before the wheels fell off in a 67-27 loss – after they’d led 20-3 – in Santa Fe.

“I’m expecting the best of the best of the Wallabies,” Argentina skipper Julian Montoya said.

“That game (in Santa Fe) was a year ago, even more.

“And you see the path they’re on now; an amazing series against the Lions, beat the Springboks at Ellis Park and almost beat them again in the last game.

“It’s a world-class team and we’re expecting the best of them, a proper Test match.”

Teams have the option of taking a drinks break at the 20-minute mark of each half.