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'Caelan Doris... I’m not sure he gets in the Lions back row at the moment'
By Neil Squires
Maro Itoje’s new-found calmness under fire marks him down as the man to lead the Lions in Australia according to World Cup winner Mike Tindall.
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Tindall believes Itoje’s demeanor has “massively shifted” from on-field cheerleader to calm figurehead since assuming the England captaincy at the start of the Six Nations.
He admitted he did not consider the Saracens second row as captaincy material before the championship but has been won over by what he saw.
“There are just little bits that jump out,” said Tindall. “The way he interacted with the referee throughout the whole Six Nations, the way Chandler Cunningham-South came on (against Wales) out of position having to go into the second row early when (Ollie) Chessum had to go off. He just pulled him aside and he didn’t rush, just talked him through what the lineout calls were and had that composure which I’ve not really associated with him before.
“We knew how good a player he is and he’s always been an energy leader and a standards leader but I think he’s done some work off the pitch. He just looked different, even to the autumn when he wasn’t captain. I think he’s really put his hand up and I think it’s hard to look past Maro currently.”
Itoje has leapfrogged Ireland’s Caelan Doris with the bookmakers as favourite to captain the Lions after leading England to second place in the championship – their highest position since they won the title in 2020.
While Doris was appointed Ireland captain by Lions head coach Andy Farrell, Tindall is no longer convinced he is an automatic pick to start the first Test in Brisbane.
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“People are talking about Caelan Doris, but I’m not sure he gets in the back row at the moment,” Tindall told the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast.
“I think Ireland have had an up and down performance over the last 12 months and I think there are other back rowers firing.”
He added: “There are so many good back rowers so that is going to come down to combinations. I genuinely think those back rows are going to be playing for their spots throughout the tour which I think is great for the team.”
The former England centre is backing the Lions to come out on top against the Wallabies but is expecting a tight series.
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“I think it could be 2-1,” said Tindall. “It all comes down to that first game. If we win that we might win all three but it’s going to be way, way closer than everyone thinks,” he said.
Farrell names his tour squad at London’s O2 arena in front of more than 2,000 fans on May 8.
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