From 90 Super Rugby caps to Wallabies regular: Lonergan's 374-day transformation

Ryan Lonergan stepped off the Wallabies team bus in Auckland on Tuesday as a settled Test starter — a status that would have seemed distant just over a year ago when he finally earned his first cap after more than 90 Super Rugby appearances.

The 28-year-old scrum-half had been in squads under both Dave Rennie and Eddie Jones without debuting, before The Rugby Championship in 2024 gave him his moment as Wallaby No. 933. That first appearance came at the same Auckland training venue where he arrived this week, a detail that prompted Lonergan to reflect on how far he has come.

“A year’s a long time. I’ve played a lot of footy since then. I’ve just been able to keep growing my game at Brums throughout the season and now obviously here at Test level,” Lonergan told reporters. “I’m excited for the challenge.”

His route to the starting jersey was not straightforward even after that debut. Tate McDermott wore the No. 9 shirt in the opening Test of the 2025 Bledisloe Cup series before a hamstring injury forced a change, bringing Lonergan on for 62 minutes. He has not looked back since, starting all eight Tests this season.

Goal-kicking has become an unexpected cornerstone of his value to coach Joe Schmidt. Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson shared the kicking duties in the July Nations Championship window, but Lonergan took over and has not relinquished the role. He has landed 26 conversions in his last seven Tests and contributed a 17-point haul from the tee as the Wallabies edged the Springboks 42-38 late last month.

“At the start of Super Rugby, I hadn’t kicked for a while and it was probably just getting back into the rhythm of kicking,” Lonergan said. “When I was younger I really loved goal-kicking all the time and over the last few years, when I wasn’t kicking, I came back in. It was another thing I had to think about and I probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I do now. Honestly, that’s kind of the only change. You just ride that confidence through and it’s been working for me.”

Should Lonergan be named to start the next Bledisloe Cup Test, he could face All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard for the first time at Test level. Roigard is one of three halfbacks in Dave Rennie’s squad — alongside Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston — but has been a fixture in the All Blacks’ first XV for several seasons, including four starts in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks.