Maro Itoje named British and Irish Lions captain for tour of Australia

Head coach Andy Farrell has turned to the 2017 and 2021 Lions tourist after he impressed while leading England during this year’s Six Nations, helping his team finish runners-up.

The 93-cap Saracens second row, who has also made six Test appearances for the Lions, was presented on stage at The O2 in London where Farrell named his squad for the 10-fixture itinerary.

“It feels amazing to be named Lions captain,” said Itoje, who revealed that he found out the news when Farrell called him on Tuesday.

“I’m deeply honoured, humbled and I’ll do my best to do the role justice. I’m very much looking forward to the challenge ahead, it’s going to be a great tour.

“I know the appetite amongst the players is extremely high, everyone is hungry to be a Lion and I can’t wait to play my role.”

Itoje’s leadership credentials were once questioned by former England head coach Eddie Jones, who in 2021 described the 30-year-old as “very inward-looking” and added that he “doesn’t usually influence people off the field”.

But he has disproved that assessment this season by taking charge of Saracens, England and now the Lions.

As an automatic pick for the Test team and standout performer on the last two tours by the elite of British and Irish rugby, he has been the outstanding candidate since the Six Nations.

“The captain is the beacon, he is the leader and he is the person that everybody looks up to. It takes a special person, that’s for sure,” Farrell said.

“As a two-time tourist, Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning the series.”

Henry Pollock’s meteoric rise this season continued when he was included in the squad in an audacious selection by Farrell.

The dynamic Northampton flanker only made his England debut in March, scoring two tries against Wales in Cardiff, but even at 20 years old he has emerged as a blockbuster talent.

On Saturday he was instrumental in helping Saints dispatch Leinster in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup, outplaying several of his more established Lions rivals in the process.

The British and Irish Lions squad for this summer’s tour of Australia:

Backs: B Aki (Ireland), E Daly (England), T Freeman (England), J Gibson-Park (Ireland), M Hansen (Ireland), H Jones (Scotland), H Keenan (Ireland), B Kinghorn (Scotland), J Lowe (Ireland), A Mitchell (England), G Ringrose (Ireland), F Russell (Scotland), F Smith (England), M Smith (England), S Tuipulotu (Scotland), D van der Merwe (Scotland), T Williams (Wales).

Forwards: T Beirne (Ireland), O Chessum (England), J Conan (Ireland), L Cowan-Dickie (England), S Cummings (Scotland), T Curry (England), B Earl (England), Z Fagerson (Scotland), T Furlong (Ireland), E Genge (England), M Itoje (England, capt), R Kelleher (Ireland), J McCarthy (Ireland), J Morgan (Wales), H Pollock (England), A Porter (Ireland), J Ryan (Ireland), P Schoeman (Scotland), D Sheehan (Ireland), W Stuart (England), J Van der Flier (Ireland).