Lynagh makes case for Wallabies recall as flyhalf race heats up ahead of Lions tour

MELBOURNE - Tom Lynaghs fledgling Wallabies career stalled when Joe Schmidt overlooked him for last years season-ending tour but the young flyhalfs Super Rugby form has given selectors food for thought ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour.

Lynagh scored two tries in another encouraging outing to help the Queensland Reds rebound from back-to-back defeats with a 35-21 victory against the Auckland Blues on Friday.

The Player-of-the-Match performance continues a strong run this season for Lynagh, whose stock has risen even as Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesios has dipped with inconsistency at the ACT Brumbies.

Reds coach Les Kiss, heavily backed to succeed Schmidt when the New Zealander steps down after this years Rugby Championship, can see 22-year-old Lynagh back in a gold jersey for the three-test series against the Lions.

Hell be in the hunt, Kiss told reporters on Monday.

Hes certainly getting better and better, isnt he?

There are five rounds left before the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs, and the battle among Australias top flyhalves is heating up.

James OConnor, who wore the number 10 shirt in the 2-1 series defeat to the Lions in 2013, has put himself in the selection frame with poised performances for the second-placed Canterbury Crusaders.

Ben Donaldson, who joined Lolesio on the Wallabies Northern Hemisphere tour last year, could also hope to impress selectors in the raised intensity of playoffs matches if Perth-based Western Force can hold their place in the top six.

Lolesio, Schmidts preferred number 10 last year, has time to strengthen his case at the helm of the third-placed Brumbies.

Lynagh, the youngest and least experienced of the four, would be a bold choice to throw into the cauldron of a Lions series, 12 years after OConnor struggled as Robbie Deanss anointed number 10.

But as the son of