England's Itoje to captain British and Irish Lions
England's Itoje to captain British and Irish Lions
Lock Maro Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions since Martin Johnson in 2001. Photo: AFP
England's Maro Itoje will captain the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia, it was announced on Thursday.
The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season's Six Nations and guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.
Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.
Itoje's path to the Lions captaincy was mooted when his main rival for the post, Caelan Doris, suffered a shoulder injury playing in Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton last weekend.
The Ireland No 8 was ruled out of the squad as he requires surgery.
"It's hard to articulate," said Itoje after taking the stage at London's O2 Arena, where some 2,000 spectators were present as fans were on hand to watch a Lions squad announcement for the first time.
"It's a tremendous honour, it's a tremendous privilege. You think about the people who have held this position before and it's remarkable. It's an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour."
Farrell said: "I want to congratulate Maro on being named captain of the British and Irish Lions.
"As a two-time tourist (with the Lions in 2017 and 2021), Maro fully understands what the Lions are all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer."
Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions – made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – since Martin Johnson in 2001.
But there was no place in a 38-man squad for former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of Andy Farrell.
Owen Farrell is barred from representing England after deciding to play his club rugby outside of the country at Paris-based Racing 92, and has suffered an injury-hit debut season in France. (AFP)
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