Maro Itoje was named captain of the British and Ireland Lions on his tour of Australia this summer.
30-year-old Itsje became the second British man to win the Lions captain in his professional days, following Martin Johnson, who led tourists in both 1997 and 2001. Itoje was confirmed as a lions skipper at an event at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday.
Itoje emerged as the front runner leading Andy Farrell’s side after Ireland’s Kaelan Doris scored a shoulder injury in a Rainster’s Champions Cup defeat to the Northampton Saints on Saturday. The injury required Doris to have surgery, and Rainster feared it would be a “serious” set-off.
Itoje is already a two-time lion, facing the All Blacks in 2017 in 2021. And now he captains the team looking for a first series victory with the Wallabies since 2013.
He enjoyed an incredible 2024-25 campaign and skippered both the Saracens and the UK. The 2025 Six Nations was his first championship to take charge of the UK, and he was impressed by the role and maintained his brilliant form.
For a long time, this looked like a race for two captains of the Lions. There were mention of things like Owen Farrell and Jamie George, but Doris and Ito were widely seen as the forefront.
Lions coach Farrell has been seconded from Ireland for this summer series, and this is one of Sabbatical’s final performances as Ireland coach before he chose Doris as captain in the November 2024 Test. Doris took the role to the 2025 championship, but after a string of eye-catching performances, Ito je’s stock rose with the Six Nations.
And it’s Ito Je who will join the elite group and captain the Lions. During his professional days, Johnson led the lion to South Africa in 1997 and to Australia in 2001. Brian O’Drisco captained tourists with the All Blacks in 2005, Paul O’Connell won the honors on a trip to South Africa in 2009, while Sam Warburton ran to Australia in 2013 and New Zealand in 2017.
Analysis from Tom Hamilton on ESPN:
The moment Rainster and Ireland began to worry about Doris’ injuries, it meant only one thing. That will be Ito’s year.
Imagine Farrell will reveal on Thursday how close this is. For a long time, this seemed to be nailed to Doris.
Farrell, who gave him the Irish captain in November, looked like an audition for honor this summer, but Doris’ form was immersed in the Six Nations and sometimes struggled to communicate with officials. The ability to get inside the judge’s ears at the right time has changed the balance of past series. See how Sam Warburton reversed the Romanimpotes’ appeal with the final pain of the 2017 third test in Auckland.
Steve Bourthwick’s decision to choose Itsje as England’s captain was a surprise. Jamie George had an outstanding job, but Borthwick was trying to move his team to the next era. Itoje has won the Saracens as captain, and since the 2014 breakthrough, it has always seemed like a “” problem, not a “” if he skippered England.
Itoje was criticised by former England coach Eddie Jones over his leadership qualifications, but he was exceptional in his role. And married to it, he was able to push his personal form to an even higher level.
Doris’ injury is very unfortunate and you feel him. He missed the 2021 tour with a concussion, but this shoulder injury never got worse. It’s now an Itoje moment and he does a great job.
There are so many halabaloos that come with the Lions captain, and he will wave around 1.2 million people over the next three months, but when it comes to leading his team against Wallaby, he does it through a moment of example and encouragement.
– British & Irish Lions Fixture for Australia Tour
– News: Ireland Captain Kahland Squirrel undergoes surgery
– Announcement of British and Ireland’s Lions Forces: How did that happen?