Tom Lynagh is Australian rugby’s biggest enigma. Can he be a saviour, too?

There won’t be a huge audience for the opening game of Super Rugby AUS early on Saturday afternoon, when Queensland host the Western Force at Ballymore.

But those rugby-hungry types who do tune into Stan Sport will be watching intently – and none more so than Wallabies coach Les Kiss, who has problems to resolve before naming an updated squad on Monday for Tests against the Springboks and the All Blacks.

He’ll be assessing whether Jock Campbell is worth recalling to replace Tom Wright, and he’ll keep tabs on Zac Lomax’s return from injury, in the fascinating position of No.13 for the Force.

But mostly Kiss will be on his couch studying the men duelling in the No.10 jerseys: Tom Lynagh and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips.

Some fingers may be crossed.

The Wallabies need another five-eighth to join the squad after Carter Gordon broke his leg in Mendoza.

Ben Donaldson and Declan Meredith are in the squad, but both have failed to claim the No.10 jersey this year, so filling Gordon’s vacancy isn’t necessarily just for a third-cab-off-the-rank player. It could be for the top job, if the right man stands up.

Setting aside the experienced options of James O’Connor and Bernard Foley – who haven’t trained in a team environment for a few months – and Japan-based Noah Lolesio, who is not available in October under regulation 9, the here-and-now candidates boil down to Lynagh, McLaughlin-Phillips and Tane Edmed.

The latter played 10 Tests last year but is now down the pecking order behind Meredith, Donaldson and McLaughlin-Phillips, who was also called into the Wallabies squad last month ahead of him.

But McLaughlin-Phillips, a running No.10, is a developing youngster you’d select as a third cab. Lynagh is not, and if he can prove his fitness, the Reds playmaker has the class to not only return to the Wallabies but to become the assertive game controller the side badly needs.

But all of that comes with a very big if. Hence, the crossed fingers.

Lynagh has played just 17 minutes this year, after suffering a string of soft-tissue injuries dating back to this time last year, when he tore a hamstring playing for the Wallabies against Argentina.

Lynagh was not considered for the spring tour so that he could have an off-season to get stronger and more physically resilient.

It didn’t have the desired effect. Lynagh suffered repeated tears of the soleus (lower calf) muscle throughout the Super Rugby season.

The long absence, combined with a lack of public information about Lynagh’s status, saw the odd conspiracy theory pop up, including that he didn’t even want to play rugby.

They were all wrong – Lynagh re-signing with Queensland in May was proof of his desire – but as Reds coach, Kiss played the long-game and put Lynagh on a go-slow conditioning plan to build sufficient resilience in his body to get through full games, and full seasons. Lynagh put on five kilograms of muscle, but again, it didn’t fix the problems.

As the months dragged on, Lynagh suffered multiple setbacks with the injured calf, each time re-setting the comeback clock.

Brilliant and brittle in equal parts, Lynagh is now Australian rugby’s biggest enigma.

Though he is extremely tough in games and doesn’t shirk contact – as seen in the Lions series – Lynagh has also became known as a flighty trainer, who is hyper-aware of any tweak or injury niggle he feels in his body.

One theory at Ballymore is that Lynagh’s past life as a schoolboy cricketer may have contributed to a propensity for back tightness.

Whatever the reason, a wary Lynagh often sat out sessions and could not complete a full week of training. Given Joe Schmidt rigidly demands as much to be selected, the blond No.10 fell out of the Wallabies reckoning. Edmed, a no-frills but durable type, was called up, and Gordon was also poached back from league (only to also start picking up injuries).

This year, the Wallabies’ long-standing problem at No.10 hasn’t gone away. If anything, it has become more acute.

The Wallabies’ forwards have improved hugely but the backline’s work – and game management in particular – has gone the other way.

Ryan Lonergan has been outstanding at halfback but the work of several options at No.10 has been B-grade. The Wallabies’ ability to exit their half via the boot has been mostly dire this year, and the game direction has gone from mediocre to muddled as Tests have worn on.

It comes with a very obvious fitness caveat, but Lynagh at his best presents as the solution: a tough, long-kicking five-eighth, with a strong voice and the heads-up composure to run a game.

So getting Lynagh back on the field and keeping him there is the name of the game. If any coach can do it, it’d be Kiss, who managed him effectively in the first half of 2025.

If Kiss can get Lynagh back into that same shape and mindset, the 23-year-old could be a key factor in the Wallabies’ campaign at the Rugby World Cup.

“I’m really enjoying Tom in a playmaker role and a decision-maker within the team,” new Reds coach Vern Cotter said this week. “He’s got a great head on his shoulders. He sees the game well. He’s calm and decisive, so I’m looking forward to having him run the game for us.”

Just to be “careful”, Cotter said he’ll give Lynagh 40 minutes at Ballymore and then everyone will wait and see how he pulls up.

There may be crossed fingers.