'Your prime as a rugby player is now 25, 26': The Rugby Pod picks its 2021 Lions captain
The Rugby Pod believes that Maro Itoje is well-positioned to become captain of the Lions in 2021, continuing the tradition of the tourists appointing teak-tough second rows as their skippers whenever they tour South Africa.
Paul O’Connell, Martin Johnson, Bill Beaumont and Willie John McBride were all locks who respectively skippered the Lions on their 2009, 1997, 1980 and 1974 tours to the home of the Springboks – their last four visits there.
Now Jim Hamilton, a former colleague of Itoje at Saracens, believes the England engine room player is the perfect candidate to lead Warren Gatland’s squad next year even though there has been support elsewhere for rival Wales second row Alun Wyn Jones and current England skipper Owen Farrell.
On the latest edition of the chart-topping podcast, the identity of the next Lions skipper was raised by Hamilton’s co-presenter Andy Goode, the ex-English international, and it took a strong presentation by Hamilton to convince Goode that Itoje would be the best man to have in charge of the Lions.
“People are looking for things to talk about,” said Goode, broaching a topic that always get tongues wagging. “I know Martin Johnson mentioned it last week, they were talking about Lions captain and people have said Alun Wyn Jones, people have said Owen Farrell, people have said Maro Itoje all for various different reasons.
“My thing is, Maro Itoje has never captained a team to my knowledge at the top level. Jim, you have played with him, you know him particularly well, would he be suited to be a Lions captain?
“It’s easy to say that guy will be the most physical guy on the field because he will and that is a given, and he is a quality player. But captaincy is very different from being the guy that just goes around smashing people and being as effective as he is for Saracens and for England.”
Hamilton quickly responded, outlined numerous reasons why he feels the 25-year-old is ripe for the captaincy after 38 England caps and three for the Lions on their previous tour, the drawn 2017 Test series with New Zealand.
“You look at leadership and it’s very different now,” said the ex-Scotland international. “Everything is about leadership, right, and it looks different now in terms of professional sport. In our day you were in your prime in your 30s. You’re not now. Your prime as a rugby player is 25, 26.
“There are loads of different things that you look at. I don’t think Owen Farrell will suit as captain from a fly-half position. I’m still a bit old-school. Someone in the forwards should do that because they are closer to all the set-pieces, the breakdowns, the carrying, the tackling… a forward is more suited.
“We saw with Sam Warburton… I don’t think you need to be the very, very best player, I don’t think you need to be the most vocal player. I was chatting to Lawrence Dallaglio about that and you [Goode] will know more than anyone playing with Martin Johnson, it wasn’t what he said, it was when he spoke that really mattered. He wasn’t speaking the whole time.
“Someone like Maro leads by example but there is also a profile thing there, he is one of the most famous rugby players in the world but he also conducts himself in a really good manner, in a really positive way, the way that he trains, the way that he handles himself, the way that he speaks in the media.
“These are all plus things on top of the fact that he is a world-class player as well that would contribute to being a captain – and being a captain not for a season but for a Lions tour. I just think it would be quite a smart move. I’m not saying that because Maro is easy to market. He is one of the best players in the world, he leads by example, he knows he has got an opportunity. He captained the England U20s to a World Cup.
Geordan Murphy gives Maro Itoje a tongue-in-cheek mention in Leicester recruitment update https://t.co/PLa4GIqdO2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 30, 2020
“Saracens, he is in the leadership group there. He captained the A team there, captained the LV= team. He is a leader in that group, he’s respected. He is one of the players now where if he speaks people listen, but he also leads by example. He is one of the fittest, one of the strongest, so I like that idea. He will be captain.”
Hamilton’s opinions swayed the view of the sceptical Goode. “Hearing you speak like that, you give a great case for it. My concern with it is because he is that good of a player you don’t want the captaincy to take away from his ability as a player and how he conducts himself on the field of play – you sometimes start thinking about other things.
“For some people, it works wonderfully well. Dylan Hartley, before he got made England captain, would have been seen in some circles as a liability, the discipline issues and all that stuff. But when he got made England captain that was the making of him as an England player and he improved himself on the field because of that captaincy and hopefully if that (Lions captaincy) does happen to Maro that can be a positive thing.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments