‘That was his standout moment’: Unassuming act by Zac Lomax impresses former Wallaby Morgan Turinui

While he may not have managed to score or lead the Force to a win, Zac Lomax’s Super Rugby debut left a positive impression on former Wallaby Morgan Turinui. The ex-NRL standout now appears to be on a trajectory that could see him in the Wallabies squad later this year.

After a tumultuous off-season, where he contemplated joining the new rebel competition R360, the State of Origin hero finally marked his return to professional rugby after a break since September. Lomax came off the bench during the Force’s narrow 24-22 loss to the Drua in Fiji.

Entering the fray in the 60th minute, Lomax made several notable contributions, including sparking a linebreak from turnover ball (check it out in the video above) and executing a solid catch from a high ball delivered by Kurtley Beale.

However, it was Lomax’s performance at the breakdown that particularly caught Turinui’s attention during his brief appearance.

“We know what he can achieve: he’ll prove to be a threat in any open space and excel in aerial challenges,” Turinui remarked during an appearance on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.

“That reaction at the breakdown in the 61st minute was the highlight for him. Forget about the near-break and the pass; it’s about having the awareness to stay on his feet with head up and back straight—someone has clearly done great work with him at training.”

Turinui acknowledged that Lomax’s grasp of ruck dynamics would likely be the most daunting aspect given his decade-long absence from rugby union.

This transition challenge was also something that former Wallaby Suliasi Vunivalu faced as he shifted to rugby union.

Matt Burke, Turinui’s colleague at Stan Sport and ex-Test teammate, echoed these sentiments, praising Lomax’s debut performance in Fiji.

“He got out there and executed what he needed to do,” the World Cup-winning fullback stated.

“I’m eager to see how he performs this weekend against the Crusaders back in Perth.”

Force coach Simon Cron had intended to introduce Lomax earlier but, during his post-match conference, revealed that a gastro bug affecting some squad members meant that he had to delay that decision.

“A few of our players were struck down by a bit of gastro, so we had to hold Zach back longer than we would’ve liked,” Cron explained.

“We planned to inject him sooner. We even contemplated shifting one of our midfielders into the forwards if we were short on numbers, but we had to wait until the 20-minute mark.”

Despite not receiving the ball frequently, Cron expressed a desire to involve Lomax more in the game and lamented missed opportunities to fully utilise the former NRL sensation.

“He’s still finding his rhythm,” Cron remarked. “Unfortunately, we didn’t give him many chances down those flanks, so he’ll be disappointed about that.”

Lomax is expected to once again feature in the Force’s matchday squad for their clash with the Crusaders this Saturday night at 9:55 PM AEST.