Maro Itoje Lions captaincy all but confirmed

Maro Itoje is expected to be named the first English captain of the British and Irish Lions since Martin Johnson in 2001 when the squad for this summer’s tour to Australia is announced on Thursday.

Itoje became the frontrunner for the role after leading England with distinction during the Six Nations, guiding the team to a runners-up finish in his maiden spell as starting skipper.

Simplifying the decision to place the 2017 and 2021 Lions tourist in charge is the shoulder injury sustained by his main rival for the post Caelan Doris, with surgery likely to rule the Ireland No.8 out of the entire trip.

Head coach Andy Farrell will unveil a squad of between 37-40 players at a lunchtime event at indigo at The O2 in London that will be watched by a crowd of 2,000.

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The captain alone will be present on stage with players only finding out if they will be part of the 10-fixture tour that opens against Argentina in Dublin on June 20 when the names are read out on Sky Sports.

Two stars in particular will cause a stir if they are included – Owen Farrell and Henry Pollock.

Farrell has endured an injury-hit debut season at Racing 92, his form has been patchy when he has played and he has not appeared for England since the 2023 World Cup, but as a three-time Lions tourist and proven Test operator his appeal is obvious.

Everything Pollock touches, meanwhile, turns to gold with the 20-year-old England flanker proving in Northampton’s Champions Cup victory over Leinster on Saturday – a game that was of international standard – that he can mix it with his rivals for Lions selection.

Counting against both is that they operate in the most competitive positions in the squad – fly-half and back row.

Three playmakers will be taken Down Under with Finn Russell in pole position to face the Wallabies. Behind the mercurial Scot are Fin Smith, Sam Prendergast, Marcus Smith, Jack Crowley, George Ford and Farrell.

Settling on the right trio will dominate discussions when Farrell and his assistants gather for their final selection meeting in London on Wednesday, alongside debate over the back row.

Doris’ horribly-timed injury is set to rob the Lions of their Test No.8, but also raises the prospect of Taulupe Faletau embarking on his fourth tour with the elite of British and Irish rugby.

Farrell senior has said that all qualified players are being considered, giving hope to those tied to French clubs of making the cut when the successful names are read out by Lions chair Ieuan Evans.

Apart from Farrell’s son Owen, this opens the doors to the likes of Toulouse’s Blair Kinghorn and Jack Willis, even though they would most likely miss the start of the tour because of their Top 14 commitments.

Courtney Lawes and Manu Tuilagi are also possibilities to make a squad that is expected to be comprised mainly of players from Ireland and England, with Scotland contributing a healthy contingent and Wales supplying as few as two or three.