Saracens persuade Lynagh to sign

SARACENS, the unsung club from north London, have signed Australia's World Cup captain, Michael Lynagh, for an undisclosed fee.

Lynagh (32), the highest scorer in Test history with 911 points from 72 Tests, will play on Southgate's pitch next season, having had his first sight of the notoriously muddy ground last Saturday.

Lynagh, who retired from international duty after England knocked Australia out of the World Cup in June, will quit his winter involvement with Treviso in Italy to play in England on a three-year contract.

"It is going to be a new experience, very different from Australian and Italian rugby," he said.

"I did not take the move lightly, but I am excited by the opportunities in London."

The deal is secret but it must bring Lynagh well above six figures for his annual commitment, which is underpinned by the £2.5 million a local businessman, Nigel Wray, put into Saracens in the autumn.

"I like London," added Lynagh. "I first visited here as a very young player back in 1984 with the grand slam Wallabies.

"I will live in London and I hope to get married to my fiancee, Isabella, if her exams work out.

"Money is important but it is not the only consideration, though I have got to think about my future as I am in the autumn of my career."

Both Lynagh and Saracens officials were frank about the need either to improve the facilities at Southgate - where there is only a minute stand - or to move.

Lynagh added: "The ground is something that needs to be improved. I watched Saracens play Wasps at the weekend and I would not like to have been asked to perform on that sort of surface.

"But the club have outlined exciting ideas and I hope to say in to years time that I was part of the take-off."

Mike Smith, the club's chief executive, said: "We are hopeful of making us the finest club in Europe but we would like to be playing on a new ground in September, though still within our own borough. But that will cost a few million pounds."

Wray said: "There is a homely atmosphere at Saraeens but it is clearly inadequate for European competition which is our aim. We will have to move grounds."

Smith added: "Lynagh will hopefully not be the last big-name signing and we can only hope that Phillippe Sella, the former French captain, will show renewed interest in our offers now that Michael is committed to the club."

Lynagh will have a coaching role, though he has done little formally in that capacity. I know I can assist the players with my knowledge over the last dozen years.

Organisers of next month's rugby league World Sevens are trying to persuade Jonah Lomu to join one of 24 sides taking part in the tournament, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.

Tournament director Colin Love was quoted as saying that negotiations were at a delicate stage after initial approaches were made to the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The paper said Lomu's participation would have been unthinkable a year ago but the ground rules had changed with rugby union officially entering a new era of professionalism. Lomu refused a huge offer to play league in England after his thundering success at last year's World Cup.

"Now the barriers have been broken down you get players like Jonathan Davies playing union and league," Love said. "The players are going to maximise the benefits they can get out of the game while they can," he added.

He said two sides were possibilities to acquire Lomu's services a New Zealand team or a Melbourne line-up comprising players from the local Victorian state competition.