Warren Gatland has hinted that
England second-row ace Maro Itoje could captain the Lions on next year’s tour of South Africa.
The four previous Springbok series have all been captained by locks - Willie John McBride, Bill Beaumont, Martin Johnson and Paul O’Connell - and Gatland claims Itoje has all the credentials.
The coach says: “He’s an intelligent player and an intelligent man and has been incredibly successful in his career.
“He would definitely be in contention as one of the possibilities as captain. It’s about picking the squad and then saying who do we think will be captain material.
“Ideally, it’s somebody who has come from a team that’s been pretty successful.
“The next question is; if we were picking the Test team now, is there a good chance this person would make that Test team?”
Owen Farrell and Alun Wyn Jones have also been touted for the role.
The Lions are scheduled to take on the Springboks in July 2021.