Lynagh returns to start as Reds open Super Rugby AUS campaign against Western Force

Tom Lynagh will start at fly-half for the Queensland Reds when they host the Western Force at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium on Saturday, marking a significant return for the Wallaby playmaker after injuries limited him to just 17 minutes of action during the previous Super Rugby Pacific season.

Lynagh, who started all three Tests against the British & Irish Lions last year, came off the bench in a defeat to eventual champions the Hurricanes in Wellington on March 28 — his only appearance of that campaign. New Reds head coach Vern Cotter has handed him the No. 10 jersey for the club’s first game in the newly formatted Super Rugby AUS competition.

Cotter, who has been with the squad for two weeks, was measured in his expectations for Lynagh’s workload. “I’m really enjoying Tom in a playmaker role. He’s got a great head on his shoulders. He sees the game well. He’s calm and decisive,” the coach said. “With the niggles he has had, we will probably be a bit careful with him so it probably won’t be 80 minutes but certainly a good 40 minutes to start with.”

Lynagh will partner Mosiah Christian in the halves, with Josh Takai and fellow Wallaby Josh Flook forming the centre pairing. Hooker Matt Faessler is the third capped international in the starting side, giving the Reds a core of Test experience across the park.

Winger Lachlan Anderson captains the Reds for the first time, leading a back three completed by Tim Ryan and Will McCulloch. Cotter spoke warmly of his new skipper. “He’s a natural leader. He’s a charismatic personality and I think he federates people, which is what leaders have to do.”

In the forwards, George Blake, Nick Bloomfield and Faessler form the front row, with the Brothers club pairing of Will Ross and Charlie Brosnan locking the scrum. Tom Robinson and John Bryant start on the flanks, with Joe Brial at No. 8.

Cotter framed the fixture as a valuable early reference point for a squad still finding its shape under his direction. “Quite often, pre-season is about working without a reference point but we get one with this game,” he said. “A competition like this is about opportunities and players taking theirs to show their wares.”