Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Michael Lynagh Suffers Stroke


Former Wallabies and Saracens fly-half Michael Lynagh, one of Australia's all-time rugby greats, is reported to have suffered a stroke.

Lynagh, 48, represented Australia from 1984 to 1995, playing at both inside centre and fly-half. He was capped 72 times for Australia, and was captain from 1993 to 1995. He also helped steer the Wallabies to the Webb Ellis Trophy in 1991.

He was the world points scoring record holder when he retired, with 911 points.

Now based in England and a regular on ITV's rugby coverage, Lynagh was visiting his hometown of Brisbane when he became ill. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital confirmed that Lynagh had been admitted but his family had asked for no further comment.

Following his retirement from international rugby, Lynagh joined Saracens in 1996 and was a popular signing among the fans. His impact on the club was almost immediate.

During the 1997/98 season, Saracens faced Newcastle Falcons in a crucial match at the top of the table.

In front of nearly 20,000 fans, Lynagh won the match with a magnificent drop goal late on.

Lynagh also led Saracens to a Tetley Bitter Cup win over Wasps at Twickenham. Their magnificent cup run resulted in the first piece of silverware for the club in their 122-year history.

This proved to be Lynagh's last competitive game and he was enrolled in the Saracens' Hall of Fame some years later.

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