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Son of Australia rugby great Lynagh called up by England

He was born in Italy, is the son of one of Australia's greatest rugby players, and is now set to play on the international stage for England.

Louis Lynagh was one of eight uncapped players called up to an enlarged training squad by England on Tuesday ahead of the team's November test matches against Tonga, Australia and South Africa.

Lynagh is a 20-year-old winger whose father is Michael Lynagh, a brilliant flyhalf for Australia who was a Rugby World Cup winner in 1991 and has been living in England since 1996.

Louis Lynagh has come through the English rugby system to play for Harlequins, for whom he scored two tries in the Premiership final against Exeter in June to help his club become English champion.

He also impressed Jones — who is Australian — by scoring two tries for Harlequins in its opening game of this season last weekend.

“I rang him up yesterday and said, ‘Mate, you don’t sound like an Australian!’” Jones said, laughing. “He said, ‘I know, I have to work on my Australian accent a bit!’

“I played against his father — his father was obviously a brilliant player — and he has got some of those characteristics. He has that strength around his hips to drive through tacklers. It’s a good opportunity for him.”

Louis Lynagh, who is also eligible to play for Italy though his mother, will be part of a three-day, 45-man training camp that gathers in southwest London from Sunday.

Five international veterans have been omitted, in Billy and Mako Vunipola, George Ford, Jamie George and Elliot Daly.

While Daly's absence is injury-related, the others don't appear to be. Like Daly, Mako Vunipola and George were involved in the recent British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa yet cannot win places in an England squad.

It could represent the biggest changing of the guard of Jones’ reign, which began after the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Jones told the BBC that the omitted players needed to figure out if they want to be involved through to the 2023 World Cup

“It is not the end of the road," Jones said. "It is an opportunity for them to refresh, reenergize and refocus. We will see how they go.”

Nine of the 16 new caps awarded against the United States and Canada over the summer -- while many England players were in South Africa with the Lions -- were called up.

“This is an exciting squad made up of experienced players and young guys who did well in the summer and have earned their place again,” Jones said.

“We have five campaigns now until the 2023 World Cup so each one counts, and this is a chance for this 45 to impress the new coaching staff.”

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