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Aussie ace coming to Classic

The only question at the moment is which team will Michael Lynagh play for.

year's World Rugby Classic.

The only question at the moment is which team will Michael Lynagh play for.

The Australian recently retired from first class rugby and has accepted an invitation to play for the Lions in the event that Australia do not participate in the tenth annual tournament this November.

"The present situation with Australia is that we are trying to develop additional sponsorship to meet the airfare cost of $45,000,'' said Classic president John Kane. The Classic was budgeted to break even this year but, having recently lost AT&T as our television sponsor, we are now seeking a new sponsor for television.

"Television is very important for the ongoing development of the Classic but we can't afford to carry both the television costs and the cost of the Australian airfares.'' Lynagh and Philippe Sella, the world's most capped player, who has also accepted an invitation to play, were team-mates at Saracens.

Lynagh has played 72 times for his country, scoring a world record 911 points in a career stretching from 1983 to 1995. He is generally considered to have been Australia's greatest player, having kicked 177 penalties, 140 conversions and scored 10 tries.

Also expected to turn out for Australia -- or the Lions -- is Australia's top try scorer, David Campese. With over 100 caps for his country, an Australian record, Campese has scored 95 tries for his country in a career that ran from 1982 to 1997. If Lynagh does turn out for the Lions it is going to produce a nice selection problem since Welsh Wizard, Jonathan Davies, has also confirmed his accearance.