Michael Lynagh Suffers Stroke

Former Wallaby fly half Michael Lynagh suffered a stroke on Wednesday and the news has sent shock waves throughout the Australian rugby community. Lynagh is a fit and healthy 48 year old these days so the news was greeted by surprise and serious concern amongst his peers and fans.

Former team mate and Wallaby prop Ewen McKenzie (now coach of the Queensland Reds) had this to stay:

“I was about to speak at a conference. It caught me completely by surprise. I had to chase (for information) it literally before I got up and spoke so it was a bit disconcerting… It’s a big shock. I’m in the same age bracket (McKenzie is 46). When these things happen to people you know really well, it’s not a good thing… There’s lots of those memories come back. You start thinking about that. You take some of those memories for granted. When misfortune strikes, those things come back. (But) it sounds positive at the moment. Hopefully he will recover well… I played a lot of Test football with him. He’s a quiet guy but one of those guys who commanded respect through performance. There are obviously some big moments there, the quarter-final against Ireland in 1991.”

As McKenzie mentioned, Lynagh is most fondly remembered as one of the heroes of the 1991 Rugby World Cup for Australia. He scored the game winning try in the quarter final against Ireland and went on to be a key player in the victory over England in the final. Enjoy the highlights…

My thoughts are with him and his family and I hope he pulls through without any long lasting affects.

You can read more on the Brisbane Times site