Itoje keen to preserve 'history and tradition' of Lions
The Lions currently visit Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on rotation, but there has been growing support for rugby-loving France to join them because of the strength of their Test team and club game, as well as the commercial opportunities.
But three days after leading Andy Farrell's men to a series-clinching victory over the Wallabies, and with the prospect of a 3-0 sweep on in Sydney on Saturday, Itoje revealed his preference is for the Lions' heritage to be preserved.
"I thought about this at the beginning of the tour. My answer is, with the three nations that the Lions tour, there's a strong sense of history and tradition," Itoje said.
"Perhaps the Lions is the last of the traditional organisations in the modern era. Part of me is keen for it to continue to rotate among the three countries it does. But, that being said, you have to stay relatively open-minded.
"As it stands, the three nations it tours is pretty good. Also it wouldn't feel the same if we took a short-haul flight. It needs a long-haul flight."
The Lions' passage through Australia had been something of a procession until they reached Melbourne, where they were pushed to the brink first by the First Nations and Pasifika XV and then the Wallabies.
The 29-26 triumph in the second Test, made possible by overturning an 18-point deficit, will go down as one of the greatest games in their history and has provided validation for the entire 2025 expedition.
Furthermore, with a record crowd of more than 90,000 for a Lions match in attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was a reminder of their pulling power, with Itoje insisting the institution described by manager Ieuan Evans as a "glorious anachronism" is here to stay.
"It's been without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my career," said Itoje, who was also part of the 2017 and 2021 tours.
"When I am old and grey these occasions and these tours are going to be one of the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness.
"It's the aspiration of every British and Irish rugby player. I'd be surprised if you can find a British and Irish rugby player who says they don't want to be a Lion or they don't want to play for the Lions.
"This is something the players want and the players will continue to want for decades and for as long as rugby is being played. And it's something world rugby wants.
"It adds an extra bit of spice and intrigue to the Six Nations when it's Lions year. So I am struggling to see the negatives. It's a great occasion, it's a great event and long may it continue."
If the Lions prevail at Accor Stadium on Saturday, they will become the first team to whitewash the hosts in a Test series since 1927.
"We still have a job to do. We want to be part of something very special," Itoje said.
"Winning a Lions series is obviously extremely special, but what would be an absolute dream would be to go out there and perform to the level that we think we can perform and win the third game.
"That's the exciting for us - we want to chase down the performance we have been searching for."
Making the Wallabies' task to avoid an unwanted place in history even greater is the fact they will be without injured key forwards Alan Alaalatoa and Rob Valetini.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
40 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
One of the world's most beautiful art deco hotels is not where you'd expect
Shanghai may be a modern metropolis, but deep in its architectural soul it will always be an art deco city. In the 1920s and '30s, thousands of apartment buildings, offices, hotels, cinemas, clubs, department stores and civic buildings were built in what was then known as the 'modern style', part of a movement towards modernisation reflected in everything from transport to fashion, graphic design and furniture. Despite the rapid development of the past three decades, many of them are still standing. Art deco's distinctive ziggurats, speed lines and curves are everywhere. 'You just have to look up,' says Tina Kanagaratnam, co-founder of Historic Shanghai, a group devoted to recording and celebrating Shanghai's unique history. One of the most famous of all these buildings is the Peace Hotel. Commissioned by British tycoon Victor Sassoon and completed in 1929, the hotel was promoted as the most luxurious hotel in the east. As well as exquisite furnishings and interior design, it also had such radical innovations as indoor plumbing, air-conditioning and a sprung floor for dancing. The hotel lived up to the hype, immediately becoming the place to stay or be seen in Shanghai. Its jazz club was said to be the social hub of the city. Kanagaratnam takes me on an impromptu tour, pointing out some of the easily missed original stained-glass windows. In one of them you can make out the word 'Cathay', the original name of the hotel from the old European word for China. The level of detail in this space alone is extraordinary, from the sculptures and artworks reflecting the free-flowing fashion of the day to elaborate staircases and decorative ironwork, tiles and marble. It's also home to coffee shop Victor's and the Jasmine Lounge, where you can book in for afternoon tea and dine on delicate cakes and sandwiches while a pianist plays on the hotel's original Steinway. The Old Jazz Bar, behind a timber door with a grill, is an atmospheric space with a long timber bar, small stage, and clothed tables. Every night, anyone can sip a cocktail and listen to the band and guest singers. After our walk around the hotel and the local neighbourhood, where we spot many other deco masterpieces, Kanagaratnam leaves me to check in. I've been staying in the hotel equivalent of a musty cupboard for three nights and the cost of my one night in the cheapest available room at the Peace Hotel ($564) is almost double those three nights combined, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Tonight, I'll be sleeping in a building once graced by Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich and, more recently, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau. They each stayed in one of the hotel's nine original Nation Suites, and it's easy to imagine them at home in these elaborately decorated, glamorous spaces. My room is merely the standard level of uber luxury – in art deco style yet thoroughly modernised with an enormous bathroom, coffee station, walk-in closet and the elegance, light and high ceilings the era was famous for.
The Age
40 minutes ago
- The Age
One of the world's most beautiful art deco hotels is not where you'd expect
Shanghai may be a modern metropolis, but deep in its architectural soul it will always be an art deco city. In the 1920s and '30s, thousands of apartment buildings, offices, hotels, cinemas, clubs, department stores and civic buildings were built in what was then known as the 'modern style', part of a movement towards modernisation reflected in everything from transport to fashion, graphic design and furniture. Despite the rapid development of the past three decades, many of them are still standing. Art deco's distinctive ziggurats, speed lines and curves are everywhere. 'You just have to look up,' says Tina Kanagaratnam, co-founder of Historic Shanghai, a group devoted to recording and celebrating Shanghai's unique history. One of the most famous of all these buildings is the Peace Hotel. Commissioned by British tycoon Victor Sassoon and completed in 1929, the hotel was promoted as the most luxurious hotel in the east. As well as exquisite furnishings and interior design, it also had such radical innovations as indoor plumbing, air-conditioning and a sprung floor for dancing. The hotel lived up to the hype, immediately becoming the place to stay or be seen in Shanghai. Its jazz club was said to be the social hub of the city. Kanagaratnam takes me on an impromptu tour, pointing out some of the easily missed original stained-glass windows. In one of them you can make out the word 'Cathay', the original name of the hotel from the old European word for China. The level of detail in this space alone is extraordinary, from the sculptures and artworks reflecting the free-flowing fashion of the day to elaborate staircases and decorative ironwork, tiles and marble. It's also home to coffee shop Victor's and the Jasmine Lounge, where you can book in for afternoon tea and dine on delicate cakes and sandwiches while a pianist plays on the hotel's original Steinway. The Old Jazz Bar, behind a timber door with a grill, is an atmospheric space with a long timber bar, small stage, and clothed tables. Every night, anyone can sip a cocktail and listen to the band and guest singers. After our walk around the hotel and the local neighbourhood, where we spot many other deco masterpieces, Kanagaratnam leaves me to check in. I've been staying in the hotel equivalent of a musty cupboard for three nights and the cost of my one night in the cheapest available room at the Peace Hotel ($564) is almost double those three nights combined, so I'm determined to make the most of it. Tonight, I'll be sleeping in a building once graced by Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich and, more recently, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau. They each stayed in one of the hotel's nine original Nation Suites, and it's easy to imagine them at home in these elaborately decorated, glamorous spaces. My room is merely the standard level of uber luxury – in art deco style yet thoroughly modernised with an enormous bathroom, coffee station, walk-in closet and the elegance, light and high ceilings the era was famous for.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Piastri back where his grand prix winning habit started
Oscar Piastri has got used to winning since his maiden success in Hungary last year. He now returns to the scene of those happy moments as Formula One leader, seeking to take a tidy advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris into the August break. The 24-year-old has won six of 13 grands prix so far this season, already more than any Australian driver has ever managed in a single year, and leads his British rival by 16 points with 11 races remaining. "I'm really excited to go back. It's always a fun weekend. It's a great city, a cool track as well," said Piastri after winning a rain-delayed race in Belgium last Sunday in McLaren's sixth one-two of the season. It ended a resurgent run by Norris, who had closed the gap at the top by winning the previous two races. "I'm sure it will be nice to go back to where I had my first win. But as soon as we get on track, you forget about that immediately." Hungary, hot and twisty and with a layout more like an overgrown go-kart track that makes overtaking tricky, puts a premium on qualifying. Norris took pole last time in Hungary but lost out to Piastri at the start, recovered the lead when the Australian suffered a slower pitstop and was then ordered by the team to hand back the place. The Briton eventually complied but it rankled at the time and he will be looking to win on Sunday without any such controversy. With McLaren dominant, and historically the most successful team in Hungary, the stage is set for another duel between the teammates. Who chases them hardest remains an open question but this could be the moment Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for with Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc has had five podiums already this season. Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull. The race is the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who took his first win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, has raced in more than half of them - this being his record 22nd.
