England's Maro Itoje will captain the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia, it was announced on Thursday.
The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season's Six Nations and guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.
Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three tests against the Wallabies by head coach Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.
A moment he'll never forget...@maroitoje, #Lions2025 captain 🦁#WeGoBeyond pic.twitter.com/1ZMlDix8KF
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025
Itoje's path to the Lions captaincy was mooted when his main rival for the post, Caelan Doris, suffered a shoulder injury playing in Leinster's Champions Cup semifinal loss to Northampton last weekend.
The Ireland No 8 was ruled out of the squad as he requires surgery.
"It's hard to articulate," said Itoje after taking the stage at London's O2 Arena where some 2 000 spectators were present as fans were on hand to watch a Lions squad announcement for the first time.
"It's a tremendous honour, it's a tremendous privilege. You think about the people who have held this position before and it's remarkable. It's an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour."
The first few words from our captain, @maroitoje 🫡#Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond pic.twitter.com/FvsjtVJkQO
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025
Farrell said: "I want to congratulate Maro on being named captain of the British and Irish Lions.
"As a two-time tourist (with the Lions in 2017 and 2021), 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 a test series this summer."
Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions – made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – since Martin Johnson in 2001.
But there was no place in a 38-man squad for former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of Andy Farrell.
Owen Farrell is barred from representing England after deciding to play his club rugby outside of the country at Paris-based Racing 92, and has suffered an injury-hit debut season in France.
'SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS'
Henry Pollock may be at the other end of the experience scale to Farrell but the Northampton back-row has become the latest 'bolter' to be included in a Lions squad.
The 20-year-old rising star only made his England debut in March, but came off the bench to score two tries during a 68-14 rout of Wales in Cardiff in the last round of the Six Nations.
Pollock has since underlined that form and produced a superb display for the Saints in their 37-34 victory away to Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.
Andy Farrell has announced his #Lions2025 squad that will tour to Australia next month 🦁🚨 pic.twitter.com/mzc3LM3vFU
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 8, 2025
The 10-match Lions tour begins with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on 20 June.
The first test against Australia will be in Brisbane on 19 July, with two more internationals in Melbourne (26 July) and Sydney (2 August) to follow.
Australia have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour every four years, to beat.
The only other teams they have played series against in their 137-year history are New Zealand and South Africa, the traditional powerhouses of the 15-a-side code.
Indeed the last time the Lions won a test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013.
But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.
The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.